


What A Weekend

by sapphireej



Series: Starting Out [1]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Confessions, Developing Relationship, Family, Fluff, Gen, Getting Together, M/M, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:22:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 30,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24301306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphireej/pseuds/sapphireej
Summary: Post 1x10 - The weekend after the solar flare is full of Tarlos fluff, emotional confessions, promises, and some surprises along the way.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand, Owen Strand & TK Strand, TK Strand & Buttercup
Series: Starting Out [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1841170
Comments: 24
Kudos: 251





	1. Stay

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers: Up to 911: Lone Star (TV 2020) 1x10 - Austin, We Have A Problem  
> Disclaimer: I don't own 911: Lone Star! I'm just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* I do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: I edited this, so all mistakes are mine.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~
> 
> A/N3: Hey everyone! Though I'm familiar with writing in other fandoms (The Night Shift and Glee) and one of my besties and I are co-writing a 911 x 911: Lone Star crossover, this is my first solo jump into the universe. I've been a fan since the series began and after that amazing Tarlos scene at the end of the season on Carlos' car, I needed to know what happened next, so I decided to write it! Then a few more ideas came to me, so I decided to make it a little longer. Hope you all like!
> 
> Any Underlined text are quotes from 911: Lone Star - I don't own. Just borrowing for this work of fiction.

_**911: Lone Star (TV 2020) 1x10 - Austin, We Have A Problem** _

_" What are you thinking?" Carlos asked, his eyes still focused on the sky above them, one hand tucked behind his head while his other rested loosely on his leg._

_" I'm thinking... We make a pretty good team," TK smiled, his hands continuing to remain tucked in his hoodie's pocket._

_Carlos turned his head to look at TK, " we really do, don't we?"_

_TK shifts to meet Carlos' gaze, " afraid so," he grinned again, reaching over to take Carlos' hand, gently lacing their fingers together and settling their joined hands on his stomach._

~*~

TK and Carlos shared a smile with each other but soon turned their gazes back to the once-in-a-lifetime view of the green, purple, and blue shades painting the starry night sky.

It was Carlos who broke the silence moments later, "it's beautiful. Definitely something I've never seen in Texas before."

"Yeah, same for NYC, but my view's better here," TK had his eyes now focused on Carlos, "a lot better than I ever had there."

"Are you talking about the sky, or something else?" Carlos wondered, locking gazes with TK again and raising a curious eyebrow.

"What sky?" The young firefighter questioned, and when he saw the slight flush of Carlos' cheeks, he knew the man had figured it out, "you're very handsome, you know? Very, very handsome," he shifted to rest his free hand on Carlos' cheek.

"Careful with your shoulder, Tiger," Carlos murmured, turning to press a kiss to TK's palm, before reaching up to take his other hand in his, "I really don't want to see you go back to the hospital today, or ever."

"I don't want to go back either," TK agreed, sighing as he sunk back against the windshield of Carlos' car, "maybe we should get back to town."

"Probably a good idea. I'll drop you off at home," Carlos replied, knowing it was the best place for TK to be; at home where all his medicine and medical supplies were.

TK was briefly silent but then shook his head, "no, I don't want you to drop me off," he whispered, "I want you to stay," he quickly added, so there was no misunderstanding.

"Really? Are you sure that's a good idea?" Carlos inquired, though he couldn't deny all he wanted to do was hold onto TK as long as possible.

There was a part of him that knew it wasn't a great idea until they'd really talked, but after all that happened, he didn't want to be alone, "we need to talk a lot, I know, but I just don't want to be alone right now. If you're not comfortable, I get it, but I'd like you to stay. We'll just sleep, I swear."

Hearing TK's soft, but hopeful request made Carlos fall even more for the man next to him, "okay, I'll stay, but I have to work tomorrow."

"That's okay. You can come back tomorrow night and we can talk then," TK assured him.

"Yeah," Carlos agreed, the rest of his words unnecessary at the moment, but then realizing neither of them moved, he finally spoke up, "come on, Ty, let's go," he reluctantly let go of TK's hands and shifted to hop down from the hood of his car, his feet landing on the soft grass below.

"What did you call me?" TK asked curiously, slowly shifting to balance with his good arm as he jumped down to the ground.

Carlos moved around the car to meet TK and looked at him, "Ty. Is that alright?"

"It's been a long time since someone has, but I should tell you why I go by TK, and then you can decide," TK explained softly.

Carlos raised a curious eyebrow but nodded and shifted to open the passenger door for him, "you can tell me on the way back to town."

TK smiled again, this time at the chivalry coming from his partner, "okay and thanks," he slid into the car seat and reached for the belt as Carlos closed the door.

Carlos moved back around the car and slid into the driver's seat, starting the engine as he did. Easily buckling his belt, he shifted into gear and turned the car back towards the road.

"So, um," TK gathered his thoughts, "I'm named after my parents. My dad's middle name is Tyler and my mom's middle name is Kennedy. Before I started school, I was 'Tyler' to my family, but as I got into elementary, there were several other kids named Tyler, and I hated being 'Tyler S', so I told everyone to start calling me 'TK'. My family even started using it and now that's all I go by. When my parents divorced, my mom continued to call me TK, because she hated the reminder that 'Tyler' came from my dad. Anyway, it's just a long time since I've been called Tyler, or Ty as a nickname."

As Carlos navigated their way back into the city, he glanced at TK briefly, "I see. So, TK stuck as your nickname that everyone uses, but do you prefer it over your name? I can call you TK if that's what you want, but I don't want to call you something just because everyone else does."

"I'm not sure if I've ever been asked that," TK smirked, watching the passing cars, "honestly I don't know. I've been called TK for so long and I'm not used to hearing anyone call me Tyler. I know I groaned when you called me that at the station, but it's my name and I think deep down I've always hoped to have someone in my life who saw the real me and wanted to call me Tyler, not just go with everyone."

Briefly looking for TK's hand, Carlos reached over with his free hand to take TK's in his and squeezed it gently, "I'm sure I'll call you TK once and a while, but I want to know Tyler."

TK smiled and sunk into his seat, his hand tightening on Carlos', "I'd like that. I'm sorry I've been kinda out of it. I've been..."

"If you say, 'narcissistic dick' again, you're walking," Carlos smirked.

With a light laugh, TK shook his head, "no, I wasn't. I've just been unclear on some things, but after all that happened today, the confusion cleared, and I know what I want. I told the team and my dad, but I want to tell you, too."

"We can talk later, we don't have to do this right now," Carlos told him, "and you don't have to rush to make any decisions."

"That's the thing, I'm not rushing. I've been stalling for a long time and as for your question earlier on if there is an 'us'," TK paused and took a deep breath, "I want there to be. I like you, Carlos, and even after everything that happened this morning, you met me at the station when I texted you to. Just that right there sealed it. I want to be with you, but I need us to take things slow."

A light grin grew on Carlos' lips as he listened to TK, stealing a glance at him before returning his eyes to the road, "I like you, too, and I definitely can do slow."

TK smiled and carefully leaned over to press a kiss to Carlos' cheek, "good, but one more thing."

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Carlos inquired.

"You can call me Tyler, but I'd rather you call me your boyfriend," TK replied softly, still leaning towards him, "I think we've been through enough to take that step, because the next time we go to a club, I definitely want to make sure I'm the only one you're dancing with or looking at."

Carlos swallowed, feeling the heat radiating from TK's body, "easy Tiger," he choked out, trying not to let himself get worked up, "I'm definitely okay with that, but slow, remember?"

TK kissed his cheek once more, before pulling back and settling into his seat again, "I remember, but you're still staying right?"

"I told you I would, and I tend to keep my word," Carlos confirmed.

A content TK nodded and squeezed Carlos' hand again as he recognized the neighborhood he and his dad were renting in and soon Carlos was pulling his car up to the curb in front of the house, which is when he noticed his dad wasn't home.

"Are you okay?" Carlos asked.

"Oh, uh, yeah," TK nodded, "dad's not home yet, but he's probably swamped with paperwork."

"It was a busy day," Carlos agreed, shifting to climb out of the car and close his door, before jogging around to the other side to open TK's, "come on. You need some rest."

"You've had a busy day, too," TK responded, climbing out of the car carefully so he didn't hit his sore shoulder.

"We all have," the officer countered, closing the door and locking them with his keys before following TK up the driveway to the front door, that he opened for them.

When they walked inside the quiet home, Carlos closed and locked the door behind him, kicked off his shoes, and followed TK towards the kitchen, "Ty, you okay?" Carlos wondered, studying TK as he grabbed something in the fridge.

"Yeah, just getting some water. You want some?" TK explained sleepily, taking two bottles from the fridge and holding one out to him.

"Sure," Carlos took the offered bottle and glanced around the spacious living area, "this is a nice place."

"Yeah, it is. I'm not thrilled I'm living with dad, but I love the guy and after I, uh, relapsed in New York and his cancer treatments, I think we both need each other close for a while," TK reasoned, turning off the light and padding his way towards his room, glad he'd chosen one of the bedrooms downstairs.

Carlos knew about the older Strand's chemo treatments; he and TK had talked about it after he'd found out, but Carlos still didn't know much about the relapse, other than it was substances and it happened after a bad breakup. He wanted to know more, but he also didn't want to push TK, so he chose to keep his questions to himself, for now. At hearing his name, he shook from his thoughts and realized he had zoned out a little as they went into TK's room, "huh?"

"I was saying that I have to sleep on my right side because of my shoulder, so I was asking if you can sleep behind me," TK replied, eyeing the man, "are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine, and that's cool. We can sleep however you're comfortable," Carlos assured him, his eyes glancing around at the sparsely decorated room, with some moving boxes still sitting in the corners.

"Sorry, my room's not super fancy. I couldn't bring myself to unpack," TK explained, tugging back the blankets on his side. Carefully removing his hoodie, he revealed a plain white t-shirt underneath, and TK then slunk out of his pants, leaving his boxers on.

"How come?" Carlos asked, watching as TK sat back on the bed and opened the blankets more, a silent invitation to join him.

"Because I didn't know until today that I really planned to stay in Texas, but now I want to. I chose my dad, my fire family and you, so I have plenty to keep me here," TK smiled at him, patting the bed, "come on, let's get some sleep, _boyfriend_ ," he smiled, easily stressing the important word.

"That has a nice ring to it," Carlos grinned, "give me a minute," he shifted to take off his jacket, and then removed his phone and badge from his pants pockets, "um," he paused, quickly realizing what he had with him.

"What's wrong?" TK asked curiously, laying back to look at him.

"I, um," he bit his lip, then lifted up his shirt enough to show his waistband and turned a little so his lower back was visible, his back-up weapon tucked securely inside a black holster clipped to his pants, "if you're uncomfortable with this, I can put it in my car."

"That's hot," TK smirked, but at Carlos' 'this is serious' look, he sobered, "it's okay. I don't mind. I trust you know how to handle that and honestly, I don't remember getting shot."

Taking a deep breath, Carlos gently removed the holster and set it on the night table next to the bed and then grabbed his phone to set an alarm for the morning, before slipping out of his pants, and joining TK in bed, deciding it best to leave his shirt on.

Already feeling the comforting warmth of his boyfriend against him, TK leaned to press a kiss to Carlos' lips, before rolling to his right side, knowing he'd end up sleeping that way. Reaching back carefully with his left arm, he let his fingers graze over Carlos' body until he found his left hand and laced their fingers together, before bringing their joined hands forward to rest on his own stomach, "thanks for staying," he whispered, knowing sleep was calling him.

Once TK was settled, Carlos leaned in, gently pressing a trail of soft kisses up TK's neck to his cheek, "no thanks needed. Good night, _boyfriend_."

~*~

Half asleep, but glad to go home, Owen Strand pulled into his driveway and climbed out of his SUV, Buttercup jumping out of the driver's door. The dog quickly dashed to the nearby grass to relieve himself and when Owen looked up, he found a familiar blue car parked along the street, " _please don't let me walk in on anything I don't want to see,_ " he silently begged, laughing lightly. He liked Carlos and was hopeful things went well between his son and the young officer, but the last thing he wanted to do was walk in on an intimate moment between them.

Gathering the courage, once he was sure Buttercup was ready to go inside for the night, he locked his SUV and headed for the front door with the dog right on his heels. Unlocking the door, he pushed it open and Buttercup rushed inside, immediately dashing towards the downstairs bedrooms, and Owen had a feeling he'd sniffed out TK.

Owen was ready for bed, having showered before he left the station, so he kicked off his shoes and headed for his room upstairs, which meant he'd first be walking right past TK's room to get to the stairs. As he did, he noticed that the door was open, much further than needed for Buttercup to go inside, so the door must have been left ajar. He didn't want to look, wanting to give his son some privacy, but his curiosity got the best of him and he glanced inside. TK was asleep on his side; Carlos was draped over his son protectively and Buttercup was curled up along TK's legs.

Glad to see someone else looking out for his son and that TK looked comfortable and at peace, Owen smiled and continued to his room, " _I definitely think we're gonna be okay._ "

~*~

TK woke the next morning to the sound of an alarm, one he didn't remember setting. With a groan, he reached for his phone, but quickly realized it wasn't his going off. Then he noticed the warmth next to him disappear and he glanced behind him to see Carlos rolling onto his back to snag his phone and snooze the alarm, "ignore it," TK murmured, stretching for him.

"Believe me, I want to," Carlos agreed, setting his phone back on the nightstand and turning to face him, his hand gently resting on TK's cheek, "more than anything."

"But you have to go to work," TK sighed, able to read him already, "I know."

"I'm sorry. If I could stay longer, I would, but I can't today," Carlos replied, softly, "raincheck?"

"Definitely," TK smiled, shifting to sit up when he realized Buttercup was on the bed, "hey, Buttercup. You can have Carlos' spot when he leaves."

"I'm not even out of bed yet and you're already replacing me?" Carlos scoffed, offering some mock hurt as he sat up next to his boyfriend, "really?"

"Well, someone's gotta keep me warm. That was the best sleep I've had in a long time," TK admitted, his eyes focused on Buttercup, but he knew the flush in his cheeks was not coming from the dog now in his lap, "and I really liked waking up to you next to me."

Carlos draped an arm around TK's shoulders and leaned in to kiss his cheek, "this doesn't have to be a one-time thing," he offered, "I know we're taking things slow, but if you need me here so you can get some sleep, I can be here."

"Really?" TK smiled, glancing at him.

"Really," the young cop confirmed, pressing his forehead to TK's for a moment, basking in the last remaining sparks of waking up together. Unfortunately, their time was interrupted by Carlos' alarm going off again and with a reluctant sigh, he shifted to hang his feet over the edge of the bed and reached to snooze the sound while grabbing for his pants.

Not wanting to let go just yet, TK shifted to his knees and crawled up behind Carlos, snaking his arms around the man's shoulders as he leaned in to press a kiss to Carlos' cheek, "five more minutes?"

Carlos leaned back into TK's arms, "I would love to, but I can't _mi novio_ ," he murmured, calling TK his boyfriend in Spanish.

TK took that moment to nip at Carlos' ear, "seriously? You talk to me in Spanish and then you expect to leave? Not fair!" He huffed, sitting back on his knees, crossing his arms over his chest.

Letting his boyfriend stew a moment, Carlos reluctantly slid his legs into his pants and stood to zip them, before turning around to look at TK, who was still sitting with a pout on his lips and his arms crossed over his chest, "you're adorable, but I still can't stay," he reached for his things and began pocketing his items and then tucked his spare weapon back where it had been on his waistband, "I promise you'll be on my mind all day and I will see you tonight."

Taking a deep breath, TK crawled to the edge of the bed to get off it, reaching out to wrap his arms around Carlos' shoulders when he was standing on the floor in front of him, "alright, I give. Can't say I didn't try," he paused as a thought came to him, "and I'll make dinner. I owe you for how I messed things up last time."

Carlos wrapped TK in a tight hug, "you don't owe me anything. Dinner sounds great, but you don't have to overwhelm yourself with anything fancy."

"I know, but I want to do something," TK replied, finally pulling back enough to just take Carlos' hand in his, "come on, I'll walk you out."

"You don't have to do that," Carlos used his other hand to reach for his jacket, "you need to rest, so you can heal."

"I'm perfectly capable of walking my boyfriend to the door when he leaves for work," TK explained, as he guided him through the house to the front door, "and then I'm going back to bed, even if it won't be as comfortable."

As they reached the front of the house, Carlos quickly slipped on his shoes and jacket, before wrapping his arms tightly, but carefully around TK. In the dim hallway light, Carlos could faintly make out the outline of the gauze bandages covering TK's bullet wound under his shirt and he couldn't help leaning to press a soft kiss to his bandaged shoulder, "just don't push yourself too much."

"I'll be careful," TK assured him, his right arm slipping around Carlos' waist, "but I should be the one telling you to be careful."

Looking into TK's eyes to see a flash of concern that hadn't been there a moment ago, Carlos reached up and gently rested a hand on TK's cheek, "I promise you I always am."

TK smiled lightly and nodded, leaning into Carlos' touch, before reaching for the doorknob and unlocking the door, "I'll hold you to that and I don't want you to be late, so I know you have to go," he added softly.

Carlos knew he would be pushing it to arrive at work on time, but he did not want to rush out of TK's place, so he nodded and pulled the door open to let the cool morning breeze filter into the foyer, "I will see you tonight."

"Okay, see you then and you'll stay, right?" TK asked, shivering in the cool air.

Stepping out of the house and down a step, Carlos turned to look back at TK and then reached for his hand. Lifting it to his lips, Carlos pressed a soft kiss to his hand and nodded, smiling at him, "yes, _mi novio_ , I'll stay."

~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N4: Hope you all enjoyed and please let me know what you think! I'm not sure how frequently I'll be updating, because I'm an in-home caregiver for the elderly, so I've been working full-time and my writing has been helping me wind down at night. I hope you all are staying safe and thank you to all first responders, healthcare and essential workers out there for all you do!  
> A/N5: I've only recently gotten into the fandom for 911 and 911: Lone Star recently, though I've been a fan of both since they began, and I'm so glad I finally did! I've loved Buck from day 1, fell for Eddie in season 2, I definitely am a Buddie shipper, and TK, Carlos and Tarlos stole heart from the start, so I'm glad to be able to connect with so many others who feel the same way I do! I'm also curious and excited for the next season for both series and the crossovers we've been promised!  
> A/N6: If you'd like to connect with me outside of AO3, I'm on Instagram and Twitter as EJ8302


	2. Laying It All Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story Summary: Post 1x10 - The weekend after the solar flare is full of Tarlos fluff, emotional confessions, promises, and some surprises along the way.   
> Spoilers: Up to 911: Lone Star (TV 2020) 1x10 - Austin, We Have A Problem  
> Disclaimer: I don't own 911: Lone Star! I'm just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* I do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: I edited this, so all mistakes are mine.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~
> 
> Any Underlined text are quotes from 911: Lone Star - I don't own. Just borrowing for this work of fiction.

Carlos didn't want to leave after only getting a few hours of sleep, snuggled up with his boyfriend, especially after the day before and the events of the last few weeks, but he knew he had to go home to change.

TK took a step down to stand on the step Carlos was on and wrapped his arms around him once more, "at least if I was working, I might get a glimpse of you on a call," he murmured.

"You'll have plenty of time for that when you get back on your feet," Carlos assured him, resting his forehead against TK's, "it's time for you to rest right now. I'll try to video chat with you on my lunch break."

Before either could say anymore, the sound of a car coming to a stop in front of the house caught their attention. Carlos immediately turned around to put his body between the car and TK, "are you expecting anyone?"

"No, especially not at this time of the day," TK replied honestly, noticing his boyfriend's hand going to his back. He quickly realized he was going after his gun and TK could tell by the way he was trying to block him, that Carlos had shifted into protective mode, so TK let him do what he needed to, though he tried to get a look at who was getting out of the car.

As if on cue, Buttercup slipped around the guys and right to the grass to go to the bathroom, distracting them to the new arrival, until the car door opened. Turning their gaze back to the idling car, both guys looked to see a woman climbing out of the car, talking on the phone to someone. As soon as TK saw her, he could hear his dad coming downstairs and to the door, talking on his phone, "what do you mean here? Now?"

"Oh God, you better go or you're gonna be late," TK groaned, "are you sure I can't come with you to work? I'll be quiet," he almost begged, "or you can take me to the firehouse, and I'll wax the truck. Anything..."

Carlos raised a curious eyebrow at TK, trying to put the pieces together.

"Owen, come get my luggage for me!" The woman announced loudly when she waved at the now three men in the doorway of the house.

"Who's that?" Carlos asked and when he turned to look at TK and then Owen, he realized, "oh, your mom?"

"Yeah," TK nodded, leaning in to press a kiss to Carlos' lips quickly, "go now and I'll see you tonight. I don't want you to be late for work."

Carlos held out his hand to stop Owen from going to get her luggage and he slipped away from them, jogging down the steps to the house and out to the street, "hello, ma'am, you must be Tyler's mom. I'll get these for you," he motioned to her luggage that was now sitting on the curb as the car drove away, "I think the guys are just waking up and I already had my shoes on because I was heading to work."

"Oh, uh, hello. Thank you, but who are you?" She asked curiously, looking between him, who was now carrying her two suitcases up to the front door, and her son and ex-husband.

As Carlos dropped her bags just inside the door of the house, he stole a kiss from his boyfriend, " _buena suerte, mi novio,_ " he smirked, before waving at Owen and the woman, "ma'am," he nodded at her and then headed quickly to his car.

"Drive safe!" TK called after him, getting a final wave from him as he reached his car, "that's my boyfriend, Carlos, running late for work."

Anything else TK was going to say or Owen was going to add was cut off when the older woman threw her arms around her son as tight as she could, "there's been so much going on in your life and then when your dad called and told me about what happened; I never thought my firefighter son would get shot on the job!" Gwenyth Strand exclaimed, kissing his cheek, before pulling back to look at him, her hands resting on his shoulders, "I was so worried about you when the doctor was explaining everything, and my baby got shot and I wasn't here to take care of you and you're living in Texas which is nowhere near home."

TK pulled back from his mom and groaned as his shoulder ached, any pain medication he'd had the night before was now completely worn off, "this is home," he murmured, turning to move to the kitchen where they kept the Tylenol and ibuprofen.

Gwen followed her son into the house and Owen whistled to Buttercup, who came inside, and he closed the door, unsure exactly how his morning would go, but knew coffee was going to be necessary to get through it.

"Honey, talk to me!" She begged, dropping her purse as she went and then took the bottle of pills from him as he struggled to open it, "what do you mean, this is home? New York is your home; this is just a temporary assignment. You can come home anytime."

"Mom, the only thing I left in New York is you, my exes, and a string of bad memories of addiction and substance abuse. Here I have a family that's got my back, a boyfriend who's head over heels for me and I can breathe," TK snapped, taking the bottle back once she'd opened it and he took two pills with some water, "I'm staying here."

Owen had moved to the rarely used coffee maker and began setting it up, trying not to interrupt his son and Gwen, but when TK snapped at her, Owen whistled to catch their attention, "stop, both of you!" When the two turned to look at him, he continued, "TK, I know you were up late last night, so go back to bed for a few hours. Rest your shoulder and have this conversation when you're not in pain," he told his son, knowing part of his reaction was being from is sore shoulder getting jostled when she hugged him and the pain was causing him to snap, "and Gwen, relax. Jumping into closing arguments five minutes after you arrive isn't helping."

"I'm not..."

"You are," TK retorted, "I'm going back to bed," he added, setting his water glass back on the counter and leaving his parents to bicker, while he tried to get back to sleep.

As soon as TK was out of the room, Gwen rubbed her forehead and took a deep breath, "I'm sorry, but it's been a long time of flying to get back here and I'm worried about him."

"You're his mom, of course you can worry, but don't drop it all on him the minute you walk in the door," Owen told her, finishing the coffee pot set up to get it brewing.

The woman sighed and found herself plopping down on one of the stools at the island, "he got shot on the job, Owen. How do you expect me to react?"

"Concerned, but grateful he's alive," Owen offered, leaning against the island across from her. He could see her processing what he was saying, so he continued, "look, don't get me wrong. I'm concerned about him, too, but he's on the mend, mentally and physically. We just have to give him some time, especially after yesterday."

"Yesterday? What happened?" She asked quickly.

"A coronal mass ejection from the sun caused a solar flare. Messed up a lot of electrical things and TK and Carlos were witnesses to an accident and they tried to help. He can tell you more, but it helped him put some things into perspective," Owen explained as calm as he could, going to get to coffee mugs from the cupboard. Seeing her staring at the counter, lost in her thoughts he cleared his throat, "when was the last time you had a real conversation with him?"

Gwen looked up and took a deep breath, "I talk to him a lot."

"Yes, you text him to see how he's doing, make a comment on a Facebook post of his that he's adorable or you love him, but when was the last time you really sat down and talked to him?" Owen wondered, leaning against the island.

"How can I? You took him away from me; again!" She yelled, glaring at him, "you said you never would do that! But then guess who turns 18 and signs up for the firefighter academy? And _you_ get a job offer to come to Texas and who do you bring along? Of course, he's going to come; he worships the ground you walk on!"

"And there it is," Owen shook his head, "you're blaming me, and you don't even know everything."

"Of course, I am! He's my baby boy and the minute he turned 18, he ran to you!" She hissed.

"Because you made damn sure the custody agreement was solid enough that I couldn't even take him out of the city for a road trip without a notarized permission slip," Owen retorted glad to finally smell the coffee brewing nearby.

Gwen folded her hands in front of her and tried to calm down. As much as she didn't want to agree that she was pissed at Owen for taking TK to Texas, she did blame him for TK leaving and she'd never truly got an answer out of him about why he moved, other than 'dad needed me'. Just hearing that was enough to make her madder at Owen and by default, caused her to pull away from her son, "he's okay?"

Hearing footsteps, Owen glanced up to see TK enter the kitchen again now dressed for the day, with Buttercup right beside him, so he turned to look at Gwen, "I think you should ask him," Owen replied, grabbing a coffee cup and filling it up, "I have to get ready for work," he added moving to stand in front of his son. Resting a hand on his good shoulder he smiled at him, "let her in," he said softly, before slipping out of the kitchen.

TK glared at his dad's retreating back, wishing he'd stay for moral support, but he knew that his parents could only stand being in the same room for so long before they were at each other's throats, "would you like some coffee?" He asked after a moment, the smell calling him out of the half-asleep haze he'd been in.

"That would be lovely, sweetheart, but I thought you were going back to bed," she replied softly.

Grabbing two mugs, he filled each up and since he knew how she took hers, he added a few extras to hers and then handed it over, while he took a sip of his own, "I was, but I'm not going to be able to get back to sleep, so I'm not even going to try."

Hundreds of questions had swirled around in her mind on her busy few days of traveling back from Asia, but as she sipped her coffee, she decided to start small, "how are you?"

"I'm good. Great, actually," TK smiled, waking up a little more with every sip of his coffee, "I'm happy."

"That's... That's wonderful, honey," she returned his smile, biting her lip, "so, you and Alex are for sure broken up? Apparently, I missed some big changes."

"Yeah, you could say that," TK agreed with a nod, "he cheated on me and told me the night I proposed to him."

"Propose?" She gasped, "you were going to..."

"It doesn't matter; it's in the past now," TK shrugged, wanting to leave that in the past for good.

"It does matter. You loved him. I... I didn't realize it was that bad," she told him.

"Yeah, bad enough that I got some pills, and dad found me unconscious on my apartment floor the next morning. I'd OD'd. That's why I came down here with him. I needed a change. Yes, I came to be with dad, but I needed to get away from Alex and all my past drama. I needed a fresh start and a chance to breathe on my own," he explained, "and I didn't tell anyone except dad; until yesterday, when I told the crew and I guess I'd told a little bit to Carlos a few weeks ago, but not everything."

Gwen's eyes filled with tears as she listened to her son speak, and when he finished, she got up and moved around the counter to wrap her arms around him. This time, aware of his sore shoulder, she carefully hugged him, "oh sweetheart," she choked out.

TK returned her hug with his good arm and remained silent. In a way, he was still upset with her for not knowing, but he also knew business law made for a lot of traveling, so she couldn't always be around. Having now told her, he felt like a weight had lifted off his chest, and though he could tell she was emotional; he wasn't. He'd had his time to freak out and work out the doubts he had in his mind and now was more confident than ever that he was doing the right thing, "mom, I'm okay. I really am. Yes, I'm still healing physically, but mentally, I've never felt this good."

Pulling back a little, she rested her hands on his cheeks and locked gazes with him, studying his features and noticed a spark in his eyes she hadn't seen in a long time. Questions continued to swirl in her mind as she looked him over, her hands moving gently down to rest on his shoulders, easily feeling and seeing the white gauze sticking out from the collar of his shirt, "I'm sorry I've been distant," she whispered, a tear slipping from her eyes, "and when your dad called... I was in a foreign country, so far from home and in the middle of work I had to finish before I could leave and suddenly all these feelings came over me and no matter what I asked your dad or the doctor, all I could think about was getting back to you because that would be the only way I'd know you were okay," she paused, uncharacteristically sniffling as she couldn't help the tears falling, "I don't know what I would have done if I lost you. I can't lose you," she choked out, wrapping her arms around him carefully again.

"You're not going to lose me. I'm always going to be your son, even if I live in a different state," TK told her softly, reaching up to wipe the tears off her cheeks with his thumbs.

She nodded softly and took a deep breath, "okay, good," she closed her eyes for a moment to gather her thoughts; trying to remind herself that he wasn't a 10-year-old kid anymore; he was a 26-year-old man, who needed to make his own choices and she should be happy for him and meet him where he's at and not try to guide him, "okay. If this is where you're happy, then I'm happy for you," she caved, looking at him, "I miss you, but if this is what you want..."

"It is. At first, I didn't know, but now I'm sure," he told her, "you're really okay with this?"

"It'll take some getting used to, but all a mother ever wants for their children is for them to be happy and healthy. You're happy and working on the healthy part, right?" She hoped.

"Yeah, I'm going to meetings when I can and," he motioned to where the over-the-counter pain medication was sitting on the counter, "only using that for pain, so yeah, I'm getting there."

"And this man you're seeing. He's... You're sleeping with him, so is it serious, or is this just a rebound?" She wondered, hoping she didn't just step on a landmine asking, but arriving in the early hours of the morning to her son and a strange man embracing and kissing left her with many questions. Quickly seeing a flurry of hurt flash over her son's face she went on, "I'm sorry for asking, but I just found out you and Alex are over and now you're with someone new. It's not uncommon to have a---."

"Carlos is not a rebound," TK interrupted firmly, but at her apologetic look, he calmed a little and gathered his own thoughts, "when I first got here and we met, we did hook up and I was thinking it was just gonna be some fun because I was still dealing with the breakup and a lot of changes, but he's been my light in all of my darkness. After the last few weeks, getting shot, finally dealing with and figuring some things out, I realized that not only do _I_ choose to be a firefighter with the 126, but I also choose him. We work really well together, and I've never felt so comfortable and safe with anyone in my life. Not even Alex made me feel this way. He makes me want to be a better person but accepts me for who I am. He doesn't expect me to change, but I know he'll be there for me if I do and he's a first responder, too, so he gets my job. And we just made it official last night, so we're taking things slow and we know we have a lot to talk about, but we both want this."

As her son spoke of his new boyfriend, Gwen saw the light in him, growing brighter the more he went on and she couldn't help feeling a warmth of happiness growing, "he sounds like a lovely young man. I look forward to a proper meeting, soon," she smiled, patting his cheek before moving to retake her seat on the stool nearby, "and he's a first responder? A firefighter?"

TK shook his head, "no, he's a police officer with Austin PD."

"Oh, wow," she nodded, "he'll definitely understand your life," she agreed, taking a deep breath.

"Yeah, and I get his. It's new, so I'm sure we'll deal with a lot, but he's worth it to try because I want us to be a 'we'," TK smiled, taking a sip his coffee contently.

Gwen nodded, "I'm happy for you. Worried because of your jobs, but happy that you're happy, even if I don't know much about him."

"Thank you," TK smiled as Owen walked back into the kitchen ready for the day, "he's supposed to come over for dinner tonight, but I didn't realize you were going to be here. I, uh," TK blushed, rubbing his neck nervously, "he knows dad, obviously, but..."

"But you guys just started dating, so not really the time to officially meet the parents, huh?" Gwen wondered.

"Uh, yeah," TK couldn't help his cheeks flushing even more.

"It doesn't hurt to ask. Given the situation, I'm sure he'll be okay with it," Owen chimed in.

"I will. I'm gonna try to catch up with him for lunch while I'm out," TK told them.

"You're going out? What happened to resting? You went out yesterday and look what happened," Owen noted, eyeing his son.

"A natural disaster happened, but I promise if any buses flip over in front of me I'll run the other way," TK laughed lightly, "I have to run a few errands. There are some things I've been putting off I want to get done. I also need to get to a meeting," he turned to his mom, "sorry, mom. If I would have known you were going to be here, I would have tried to get things done sooner."

"It's okay. I'm actually running on Asia time, so I need to get some sleep," she admitted, "but are you sure you should be going alone? I can go with you."

"No, I'll be okay," TK assured both of his parents, "if dad can drop me off in town, then I can grab an Uber from my meeting to my next stop."

Owen considered his options and then nodded, knowing his son wasn't going to stay home, no matter what he tried, "alright, yeah. I'm leaving in ten minutes."

~*~

TK knew his mom's arrival gave him some anxiety that he hadn't experienced in a long time, which is why he made the decision to leave the house for a while to clear his head. He was confident in the decisions he'd made in the last 24-hours, but he knew the lawyer in her would keep asking him things, either to trip him up to show his confusion or to assure herself that he had thought things through.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Owen asked, glancing at TK in the passenger seat of his SUV, "your knee hasn't stopped moving since we left."

Glancing down, TK saw the movement and stilled it as best he could, "yeah, I just... I wasn't ready to deal with mom. I know you said she was trying to get back to the states, but I didn't know it'd be today. Carlos and I haven't really had a chance to talk much."

"You think a conversation with him is all you need to get through dealing with your mom?" Owen couldn't help a light laugh escape his lips; glad he'd be working that day.

"No... I don't know... I hoped we'd have a few days to see where things were at if he even wants to stay with me after he knows everything," TK sighed, reaching back to pet Buttercup stretched out on the backseat.

"Okay, stop doubting yourself. I've seen the way he looks at you. And no one I know, who is having a casual hook up with someone, would show up at their hospital bedside and spend hours there before someone has to practically drag them out to go home to sleep," Owen told him, "Carlos adores you and he's gonna feel the same when he knows the rest. And if he isn't, then I'm a poor judge of character."

TK smirked a little, "well, you have been divorced twice."

"True, but at least I got a pretty cool kid out of one of them," Owen smiled, glancing at his son, "I'm proud of you and I like Carlos, which is not something I can say about Alex, so that's something, right?"

"Yeah," TK nodded, remembering the few times Owen questioned TK about Alex being 'the one', "I think I was just in this, I don't know, puppy love phase. I don't feel that way about Carlos. I mean, I really like him, but it's not some crush and I'm wondering now if that's what I had for Alex and when someone has a crush, and they want to keep them around, don't they do things like try to propose?"

"Possibly," Owen nodded, "I mean, I think there was some validity to your relationship at first, but when you told me he started pulling away, I think it turned more one-sided and he didn't know how to tell you, and you were working a lot, so you couldn't see all the signs until it was too late. What did you do with the ring?"

TK bit his lip, "I'm not sure. I don't remember anything after the breakup until you were in my apartment the next morning. I haven't been able to find it, so I'm assuming I either threw it off a bridge or pawned it and that's how I got the drugs."

"Oh wow," Owen groaned, unsure what else to say, so he chose to reach over and rest his hand on his son's shoulder gently so he didn't hurt it, "I'm so sorry you had to go through all that, but you've grown a lot since we got here and I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, dad," TK relaxed, "I just hope mom feels the same way by the time she leaves. I need her to know I'm okay. That I'm not gonna relapse again or..." He couldn't help the sigh escape his lips, "or make other mistakes."

"Come on, son, in just a few days she'll see the new TK and she'll go home confident you're on the right track, and I might have an idea how that could happen," Owen started.

"How?" TK wondered, noticing they were currently driving towards the firehouse and not to his meeting, "why are we going to the firehouse?"

"I'm giving you the car for the day and maybe since you're worried about having dinner with just your mom and Carlos, why don't you have them come to the station for dinner. We're all working a 24-hour shift, so this way she can meet the rest of your family," Owen suggested, "and it won't be as uncomfortable for you and Carlos to have dinner with just her."

TK smiled at that idea and nodded, "that's perfect!"

~*~

With an idea he was more comfortable with, they arrived at the station, and Owen left the SUV with TK, which he was thankful for, and Owen took Buttercup, so TK could focus on what he needed to do.

He headed off to his meeting and there weren't as many people as there had been in the past. He sat and listened and even shared a little about having been 'injured on the job' and relying on over-the-counter pain medication versus anything his doctor could prescribe him. He admitted that it was a little tough and he ached, but with the support of his family and new boyfriend, he was doing alright. They were glad to hear it and offered their own encouragement, which he appreciated and when he left, he was smiling even more than he had been since being woken up with his boyfriend that morning.

Off to his next errand, TK sat in the waiting area for his number to be called and decided to send his boyfriend a text message.

**TK:** Hey, so if I was looking for a hot cop to have lunch with, where would I go and when could I meet him?

Not expecting a quick response, TK went online to look up a few recipes while thinking about dinner that night. He also sent a message to his mom that they'd be having dinner at the station and he was cooking, so he'd be stopping at the store and going to the station to prepare everything, but he'd make sure he came to get her, so she didn't have to take a cab.

**Carlos:** If all goes according to plan, I hear there's a cop that's gonna be having lunch at 1300, but don't know where he'll be yet. Is there some hot firefighter off on medical leave right now that's looking to have lunch with him?

TK smirked, glad to see his boyfriend was playing along, but he did want to get to the point, so he used some emojis to have some fun.

**TK:** (firefighter) + (cop) = (heart eyes) (taco icon) (kissy face)

**Carlos:** 1300, Taco Joint on E Riverside (kissy face) (firefighter) (cop) (heart eyes) I'll text you if I'm running late.

**TK:** Deal! See you then!

With plans made, TK pocketed his phone and his number was called, so he continued with his next errand. It was something he'd been putting off since getting to Austin, but now that he'd decided to stay, he knew it was time. Within an hour, he was out of the building and pulling up the address to the restaurant Carlos mentioned. He hadn't heard from him that there were any changes, so he headed over and arrived just before 1300, or one-pm for him when he wasn't working.

Not seeing a police car or a familiar blue Camaro, TK sent a quick message to Carlos that he was there, and Carlos responded that he'd be there shortly. TK relaxed into the seat of his dad's SUV and took some deep breaths as he gathered his thoughts, nervous, but excited for lunch with his boyfriend.

Before he got too settled, he heard a heavy knocking on his window and turned to see the shape of a man standing outside, wearing a dark blue uniform and a blue baseball cap, and he quickly realized it was a cop. Hoping it was Carlos, he rolled the window down and looked outside, "hey officer, can I help you?" He wondered, "were you looking for someone?"

"I heard there was a hot firefighter wanting to meet for lunch," he offered, "have you seen him around?"

TK smirked at his boyfriend, closed the window and turned off the SUV, before opening the door and hopping out, "I can't say I know _exactly_ who you're looking for, but _this_ firefighter would love to have lunch with his _boyfriend_."

Carlos grinned and snaked an arm around TK's neck, gently pulling him into a hug, "definitely love the sound of that," he whispered, pressing a soft kiss to TK's neck, before pulling back, "and as much as I want to continue this, we gotta limit the PDA when I'm in uniform," he admitted sadly.

"I know, it's the same when I'm in uniform, too," he agreed, then smiled at him, "but at least we can have lunch together and admire each other."

"That we can," Carlos motioned towards the entrance, "shall we?"

TK nodded and led the way into the small restaurant. Once inside, they placed their orders and TK insisted on paying. Carlos didn't argue and after getting a number to put on their table, they went to find a seat. Finding one in a quieter corner, they settled in, "I'm glad we could meet."

"Me, too," Carlos nodded, "don't get me wrong, I'm all for time with you, but isn't your mom here?"

"Yeah," TK took a deep breath, "she is. She's sleeping right now. She's still on Asia time and I had some errands to do today."

"Oh, alright. So, is this time together because you can't do dinner tonight, or you were just out and wanted to get together?"

"Definitely wanted to get together while I was out, but I also have a change of dinner plans. I'm still making dinner, but would you be okay if dinner was at the firehouse?" He asked, but continued on quickly, before Carlos had a chance to respond, "dad and the team are on a 24-hour shift and I know having dinner with just my mom tonight would be weird and I don't think we want that pressure from _those_ questions when we haven't even had a chance to really talk, so dad suggested it and I think it's a great idea. Mom's worried about me and I want her to meet the people I'm choosing to call my family and have in my life, that way she's not concerned and it's less awkward for all of us if she's meeting everyone... Oh, and I was going to invite Grace and then that way we can have family dinner and Michele can join us, and..."

"TK, take a breath," Carlos smirked, able to tell his boyfriend was nervous. When TK did stop and take a few calming breaths, causing a blush on his cheeks, Carlos laughed lightly, "relax. That sounds great. I'll be there."

"Really?" TK asked and when Carlos nodded, TK grinned brighter, "awesome! Cool. Will you be in uniform?"

"No, I won't be," Carlos confirmed as their server brought over their meals and placed trays in front of them, along with water glasses, "so, how was your morning?"

"Well, between mom's arrival, trying to talk to her, but getting frustrated, then hearing her and my dad going at it, I couldn't get back to sleep, so I went to the firehouse with dad, he gave me the car for the day, so I could go to my meeting and then do errands, so it was good. Right now, it's a lot better."

"A meeting?" Carlos raised a curious eyebrow at him as they both began to eat.

"Um, NA/AA," TK took a deep breath, "which is something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"I thought the point of the 'A' was it being anonymous," Carlos teased.

"Are you really bustin' my balls right now?" TK eyed him.

Carlos laughed lightly, "I suppose I am," he smirked, remembering the same conversation from many weeks ago.

TK smiled, running a hand through his hair, and then sighed dramatically, "it's a good thing I like you," he winked, taking a drink of his water.

Eyeing his boyfriend, Carlos could tell he was nervous, and he had a feeling it involved his past, "hey, what's going on? You need to talk about something?"

"Yeah, but I don't... I've changed a lot since New York, but I want you to know," he bit his lip, "and I don't even know if this is the right time to tell you, but I want you to hear it from me rather than hearing my mom ask you about it or something stupid, thinking you already know, and she found out this morning, so it's fresh in her mind."

"Okay. I'm here, no matter what, so spill, if you're ready to," Carlos smiled, reaching over to gently rest his hand on TK's.

TK smiled at their hands and took a deep breath, "remember at the police station when I told you I'd gone through a bad breakup and relapsed?"

"Yes," Carlos nodded, taking his hand back so he could continue eating.

"So, about that. I'd had some history in high school of substance abuse, but I got clean so I could join the NYFD and did okay for a while, but the job was hard sometimes and I slipped in my first year or so of being a firefighter. I was good at hiding it at first, but dad caught on and I started going to meetings and tried to get over it... Then I started seeing this guy, Alex, and after some time, I felt like he was my soulmate," TK sighed, "but my shifts were sporadic, you know? One day I'd work a 24-hour shift and have two days off, then work a 48-hour shift, or cover someone's afternoon, you know how it goes," he explained and when Carlos nodded, he continued, "I started noticing Alex pulling away, not wanting to spend as much time together on my days off, and I thought... I thought it was because he didn't think I was committed to our relationship, but I wanted to show him I was, so I bought a ring. I decided to propose, hoping he'd see that I wanted to make us work and the night I was going to, we met for dinner at this really nice restaurant. We were both nervous and before we even ordered, I went through this whole speech and asked him to marry me and he told me he'd been cheating on me with a Spin Cycle instructor named Mitchell and was going to be moving in with him instead," TK took a drink of water and felt his knee shaking nervously, but he knew he wanted and needed to continue laying it out there.

Carlos silently ate, listening to everything TK was saying and he could tell he was getting nervous; it was a small table so their legs were close underneath, so he shifted his leg to press against TK's, then reached over to rest his hand on his again, "I'm not going anywhere," Carlos whispered, coaxing him to continue.

Feeling the warmth of his soft touches, TK relaxed a little and took a deep breath before he continued, "I remember getting up and leaving the restaurant, but after that, it's a blur. I don't know what I did with the ring; honestly, I think I pawned it for money and used that to buy the drugs and somehow ended up at home and just wanted to forget everything, so I guess I waited until morning to take a bunch and I literally OD'd and dad found me the morning after the break-up face down on my apartment floor unconscious. He gave me Narcan and the next thing I clearly remember is waking up, puking my guts out, grabbing onto dad, crying, and apologizing to him. After the day in the ER, dad and I talked that night, because I was released since it had been considered an 'accidental overdose'. I didn't know that he'd been offered this job at the 126, but when I told him everything about what happened, he told me. I definitely didn't want to be at the 252 without him, and I knew I needed a change, to get away from the city, Alex and all my past drama, so when dad told me to pack my bags, I finally agreed, but he told me I had to live with him, stay clean, go to meetings and see a therapist, aside from working at the 126 and getting a fresh start," TK closed his eyes for a moment, letting himself gather his thoughts, "and now you know as much as dad. Mom and the team have gotten the cliff notes version. I have more, but maybe we could go out to the car to share that... And you don't have to say anything right now if you don't want to. I know it's a lot to process," he finished, staring down at his half-eaten plate of food, not sure he could eat anymore.

"It is," Carlos agreed, pushing his now empty plate to the side, but noticed TK wasn't looking at him, so he reached over and rested a hand on his boyfriend's cheek, gently coaxing him to look at him and when their eyes met he continued, "and I can't process it all now, but what I can say is that I see you're scared of how I'll react, but you have no reason to be. I'm not going anywhere," he promised, restating what he told TK before he started speaking. "I'm proud of you, Ty. I'm proud of you for sharing and working on getting your life back on track. You've grown so much in the few months we've known each other and I'm sorry Alex treated you like that, but I can promise you that I'm not Alex. I'm here and I mean it. I'm gonna be by your side in all this if that's what you want."

TK couldn't help the tears filling his eyes, and he didn't want to break down in the middle of a restaurant, so he pulled back a little and grabbed a napkin to wipe his eyes dry, "thanks. I want you with me; more than anything."

"Then you have me," Carlos smiled at him and motioned to his boyfriend's food, "now finish eating and we can go talk outside."

"Okay," TK smiled, glad for the lightened mood around them, "how late were you to work this morning?" TK wondered as he dug into the rest of his meal.

"About ten minutes. I just had to grab my stuff from home and change into my uniform," he admitted with a shrug, "so not bad, but I'll make sure I have things in my car if it happens again, but tomorrow I'm off so I can definitely stay if you still want me to."

TK swallowed his bite and nodded with a smile, "I do."

~*~

It only took a few minutes for TK to finish his meal and once they were done, they threw their trash away and headed outside, walking towards Carlos' police SUV, "so how are you doing?" Carlos wondered, knowing TK had more to talk about, but he also didn't want him to feel the need to rush into anything.

TK shrugged, "better, I think. You're really okay with all that I told you?"

"Okay isn't the word I'd use. I'm surprised you went through all that, but we all have demons in our past. I do, too, that I'll share with you one day. I'm sad to hear you had a substance problem and how serious it got, but it's not gonna scare me away. It's helping me learn who you are and right now, I'm pissed at Alex for treating you like that, but in a way, selfishly I'm glad you guys broke up, because I may never have met you," Carlos explained, leaning against his driver's door.

Since they were between his SUV and another car, facing each other, TK reached over and took his hand in his, squeezing it gently. Taking a deep breath and gathering his thoughts, he nodded, "me, too and I'm glad I found out before we got any more serious because I might have missed out on this and I definitely don't. I just wish I had seen signs or hadn't been so stupid to relapse when it didn't go right."

"You were hurting, and mad at yourself for not catching on sooner. I'm not justifying what you did, but you know it was a mistake and it's in the past. You're not that guy anymore," Carlos assured him.

"I never want to be again," TK agreed, closing his eyes and knowing he needed to tell him something else, "um, my mom asked me if you were a rebound," he admitted looking up at his boyfriend to see a lack of surprise on his face.

"Once you'd told me you had gone through a breakup, I can't deny it didn't cross my mind," Carlos admitted softly, "but I don't feel that way anymore."

"You're not a rebound... Well, now you're not. I think when we first met and hooked up, I was just... I don't know..."

"Looking for something to make you feel good after all the darkness," Carlos offered, "I remember what you said at the station. That you'd felt gray clouds and numb."

TK bit his lip, "yeah, I was, but the more we hung out, you became a light. You've been there for me in ways not many in my life have ever been and that means a lot to me. I know I had some things to figure out, but I choose the 126 and being a firefighter and I choose you. We work really well together, and I've never felt so comfortable and safe with anyone in my life. Not even Alex made me feel this way. You make me want to be a better person, but I know you accept me for who I am and what I do. You made me feel something again and I can't thank you enough for that, Carlos, and I want you to know that I want this and I'm pretty sure you want this, too."

Carlos squeezed their joined hands and smiled at him, "oh yeah, I definitely want this, and I'm glad I can be a light in your darkness, but you've made your own light. You're working on healing because you want to be better and are confidently making your own decisions to do that. That's awesome and I'm gonna be right here by your side as you continue."

"I really wish you weren't in uniform right now," TK mumbled, stepping closer to wrap his other arm around him in a hug and then pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, before pulling back.

"I won't be when I see you tonight," Carlos smiled, "but I get ya. So, are you okay?"

TK took a deep breath, "yeah, I think so. I should be asking you that."

"I'm good. I'm glad you opened up to me and the only thing it changes for me is that I'm prouder of you than I was last night, mi novio," Carlos smiled, glancing at their joined hands, liking how easily they fit together, "I should get back to work, but I will see you in," he glanced at his watch, "about six hours."

"That's so far off," TK groaned, sighing as he looked at his boyfriend, "but I guess that gives me time to go get everything for dinner and have it ready by what? Seven-thirty?" He wondered.

Carlos grinned and nodded, squeezing their hands one last time, "it's a date."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Spanish Translations:**  
>  Buena suerte - good luck  
> Mi novio - my boyfriend
> 
> A/N3: Hope you all enjoyed this! Please let me know what you think! Thank you for all the awesome comments and kudos on the previous chapter! They definitely encourage me to keep going and I do read all of the comments; so sorry I haven't responded to many, but I hope to soon!  
> A/N4: If you'd like to connect with me outside of AO3, I'm on Instagram and Twitter as EJ8302!


	3. Family Isn't Always Blood-Related

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story Summary: Post 1x10 - The weekend after the solar flare is full of Tarlos fluff, emotional confessions, promises, and some surprises along the way.  
> Spoilers: Up to 911: Lone Star (TV 2020) 1x10 - Austin, We Have A Problem  
> Disclaimer: I don't own 911: Lone Star! I'm just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* I do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: I edited this, so all mistakes are mine.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D

~*~

TK spent time picking up groceries at the store, texting with Grace to not only invite her over but also to get tips. He didn't expect her to offer to help, but since he'd only cooked for a few people before, a large group was different, and he was relieved when she shared that she was more than happy to lend a hand and a few hours after lunch with Carlos, he was arriving at the firehouse.

"Well, damn, little brother's back twice in two days. You worried we're gonna replace ya?" Judd laughed when TK walked into the kitchen and set two large grocery bags on the counter.

"Hey! TK's back!" Mateo jumped up from where he'd been in the lounge area with Paul and Marjan, "what's all this?"

TK took a deep breath, "dinner. Well, everything I need to make dinner. I hope," he pulled the keys from his pocket and tossed them at Mateo, "can you go get the other two bags in the back of my dad's SUV?"

"Sure," Mateo replied, dashing off, while Paul and Marjan joined Judd and TK at the island in the kitchen, while TK began to empty the bags on the counter.

"Oh, nice, is that smoked cheddar?" Judd reached out to pick up the large block of orange cheese, "my wife makes the best mac 'n cheese with this stuff."

"Great! Because that's what she's making," TK replied, "she's joining us when her shift is over at the call center to help me pull this off."

"Pull what off, exactly?" Marjan wondered as Mateo returned moments later with the last bags of groceries.

TK groaned, "I'd planned to make dinner for me and Carlos tonight, but then my mom showed up this morning and if she joins us for dinner, it will probably be awkward. Instead, dad suggested doing family dinner here, with everyone, so she can meet you guys, too. Then hopefully she'll see that I have a great group of people in my life who are looking out for me and she won't worry when she goes back to New York and that she'll stop trying to get me to go back there," he explained, continuing to empty the bags, now starting on the ones that Mateo brought in.

"You're going to spoil us with a big dinner, just so your mom and Carlos don't have an awkward conversation about you? I'm in," Paul laughed, "wait. You can cook?"

"Kinda. I mean, yeah, for a small group, but I've never done it for this many before," TK admitted, "so I'm glad Grace offered. I thought to ask, but she beat me to it when I invited her to join us and why tonight."

"That's my girl," Judd smiled proudly, "always helping others out."

"She's awesome," TK agreed, taking a deep breath, trying to calm his anxiety over dinner.

"Why are you so nervous?" Mateo wondered.

"Can't you tell? The Tarlos ship finally left port and TK's nervous about his mom meeting his boyfriend for the first time," Marjan grinned, moving to stand next to TK, resting her arm on his good shoulder.

If what Marjan had said didn't give everyone the news, the blush quickly growing on TK's cheeks confirmed it, "what she said," he motioned to her.

"Congrats, man," Paul grinned, reaching out to nudge him in his good arm, "about time," he added as the others offered their congratulations.

"Thanks," TK smiled, "uh, we just made things official last night, so we're getting used to it. He's awesome and we're taking things slow, but meeting my mom was not in the cards this soon. Then she showed at the house this morning, just as he was leaving for work and it was...interesting," he sighed, shaking his head, "it's not really how I wanted them to meet, and honestly, it was so quick, they kinda did and didn't meet, so I don't know. I just want my mom to meet you all, too, and she's only here until tomorrow afternoon, so family dinner wins."

"Pay up, boys," Marjan held out her hand to Judd, Paul, and Mateo, "I told you it would happen while he was out on medical leave."

"You bet on me?" TK gasped, turning to look at her, and then to each of the guys as they pulled out their wallets.

"Well, this is a bet I'm happy to lose," Judd admitted, setting a twenty-dollar bill in Marjan's hand, "we knew you guys would get together, but we didn't know when. I thought it'd happen after you got back from leave."

"I thought you guys had been since we went to the club," Paul replied, adding his own twenty to her hand.

Mateo handed over his money and sighed, "and I thought you guys had been together before the tornado, but I was wrong."

Marjan grinned, folding up the three twenties and moving over to the cabinet where they kept the cash jar for groceries and stuck the money inside, "and your dad and I said while you were on medical leave."

"My dad bet, too?" TK gasped as his cheeks flushed.

Hearing the pitter-patter of four paws caught their attention, and in a flash, Buttercup appeared in the kitchen, immediately going over to TK, who knelt to greet him.

"Of course. I'm hoping you break the cycle of Strand men break-ups and I like Carlos, so I'm hoping he sticks around," Owen commented, having heard the tail end of the conversation as he had come downstairs.

TK looked at his dad, "me, too."

"And how much food are you making? Enough for an army?" Owen laughed, seeing the bags, and what was still sitting on the counter.

"Well, with the way some of _y'all_ eat," he stressed the more southern word and glanced at the others, "we need enough for an army so there are leftovers."

"Just because you're out right now, doesn't mean you're not right there with us, little brother, and I'm sure Carlos is, too," Judd smirked, "and I'm not making promises if my wife's partaking in the cooking."

TK caved, "alright, I'll give you that one."

~*~

While everyone continued to hang out with TK in the kitchen, he began the prep work so he could start on dinner and would already have some things ready when Grace got there. Paul offered to help, but before he could jump in, the team got called out to an accident scene, leaving TK and Buttercup alone at the station, with only a few support staff members lingering.

As TK moved from chopping one kind of vegetable to the next, he paused to turn Pandora on to one of his favorite stations, wanting to listen to some music as he worked. It also helped keep his mind occupied on something else besides worrying about how the evening would go.

Getting lost in a slow song that came on, he almost missed his phone vibrating, but he caught it just as the alert flashed on his screen that there was a text message. Seeing it was his mom, he opened it.

 **Mom:** Hey, sweetheart! I just woke up from a nap and will get ready for dinner. I look forward to meeting your coworkers, but you don't need to come to get me. If you just send me the address, I'll take a car over.

Reading over the message, he quickly responded with an 'okay' and the address to the firehouse. When he put his phone down, Buttercup, who had been laying down near him, jumped up and whimpered, moving to dart around TK's legs, "whoa, what's wrong, Buttercup?" As the words left his mouth, he realized what his problem was, "you gotta go out, don't you?"

With a smirk, TK moved over to the drawer they kept his leash in and pulled it out, "come on. Let's go on a short walk before I get into dinner again," he told him, grabbing his phone from the counter after clipping the leash to the dog's collar.

Knowing he had some time, TK guided the dog outside and shut the door to the garage, before heading for the sidewalk, making sure Buttercup's leash was in his right hand so he didn't pull on his sore shoulder.

It was a nice day, the city seeming to be mostly recovered from the solar flare the day before, so TK was soaking in the sun as he let Buttercup stop every once and a while to sniff or relieve himself. He hadn't paid attention to how far he'd walked, but when he glanced at the time, he decided to start walking back. Not far from the station, he heard the sound of a car engine slowing down on the road. At first, he thought it was someone parking, so he kept walking, but as it seemed to slow to his pace, he finally glanced over to see the familiar Austin Police SUV following along, "twice in one afternoon, Officer Reyes. If I didn't know any better, I would think you're stalking me," TK smirked, noticing his boyfriend behind the wheel, with the window down.

Carlos laughed as he pulled the SUV into the driveway of the fire station. Resting his arm on the window, he smiled as he watched his boyfriend walk up, "I am on patrol, you know, protecting and serving the citizens of the city," he winked at him, shifting to reach for something in his center console, and then produced a small dog bone in his hand, coaxing Buttercup up to the window.

Buttercup panted and wagged his tail quickly as he jumped up and took the offered bone from him and TK shook his head with a laugh, "you're spoiling him. Soon he'll expect it."

"There's nothing wrong with showering those we care about with affection," Carlos admitted.

As much as TK wanted to joke around with him, the flush growing on his cheeks as he leaned against the SUV couldn't hide his feelings any longer, especially watching as Carlos reached out to pet Buttercup when the dog had returned to the window, paws resting on the door to get closer to Carlos for attention, "it's nice to know I'm not the only one who feels that way."

"Come here," Carlos motioned inside of the window and as TK leaned in with a curious look on his face, Carlos took his hat off and pressed a kiss to his lips, "I'm always gonna do my best to show you how much I adore you."

Sparks stirred butterflies in his stomach, hoping he always felt that way for the man before him, "that means a lot and I feel the same about you," TK smiled, reaching in to rest his hand against Carlos' cheek, "what happened to limit the PDA, officer?"

"Ah, we can make exceptions when the time is right," Carlos returned his smile and leaned into his touch.

TK nodded at that and shifted a little, "so what brings you by? Are you seriously checking up on me?"

"No," Carlos laughed, "I'm on patrol. I just happened to see you walking down the street, so I thought I'd stop and say 'hi'. I was just going to honk, but I didn't want you to think there was another cop on the force flirting with you."

"They can flirt all they want, but there's only one I've got eyes for," TK assured him, catching a glimpse of the clock on Carlos' dashboard, "crap, I gotta go. Dinner won't make itself. See you in a few hours?"

Carlos laughed lightly and nodded, "of course. See you soon."

"Good," TK leaned in to the window and kissed his boyfriend once more, "go or you're gonna spoil me and dinner will be late."

~*~

When TK returned to the station, he got back to what he was doing and got a text from his dad about six that they were being sent to another call but should be back afterward. TK knew they probably wouldn't be back until after seven, which gave him more of a chance to get going on the food without prying eyes or 'tasters'. Buttercup had also taken to curling up near the dining table, not in his way, but nearby so he could snag anything he dropped on the floor accidentally.

TK was thankful for the focus on the food; he needed a distraction. He wanted this meal to be perfect for everyone; not really to impress his mom, but more to let her see he's okay, that the team is family and that he and Carlos are good together.

Moving over to the sink to drop a spoon in it, he noticed Buttercup jump up, and dash off. Quickly following the dog's line of sight, he smiled when he saw Grace walking into the kitchen area, "hey, Grace! Glad you could come!" TK moved towards her and wrapped his arms around her quickly.

A little surprised at the affection, but quickly returning his hug, she smiled, "I definitely won't turn down any chance I have for a meal with my husband," she explained, pulling back from his embrace, "something smells good in here," she added, glancing around to see the state of the kitchen, "busy?"

"Uh, yeah, but honestly, I'm on autopilot, so I'm not even sure how things got done," he laughed, "thanks for coming. I know we haven't had a chance to get to know each other that much, but I hope to," TK admitted.

"I'd like that," she nodded, "and it's nice to know someone at the 126 can cook aside from the wives," she winked at him, "so, let's get this dinner going before the team gets back."

~*~

"Grace, I can't thank you enough for coming to help," TK commented as the last of dinner went into the oven, around six-thirty.

"How many more times are you going to thank me tonight?" The older woman laughed as she walked over to him, "you're welcome, but stop thanking me. You wear the 126. You're family. Family helps each other out."

"Judd's lucky to have you," TK smiled, "and so are we," he added, hearing footsteps in the truck bay.

"Who's that?" Grace wondered, hearing the same thing.

TK moved around the counter to get a better view and as he did, he saw his mom walking in, "oh, hey mom. I didn't know you were on your way," he greeted, waving at her.

"It's okay, sweetheart. My ride got there earlier than expected, so here I am," when she reached him, she wrapped him in a hug and kissed him on the cheek, all before noticing Grace standing a few feet away, "oh, hello."

"Mom, this is Grace Ryder, she's married to Judd, one of my brothers here at the 126," TK explained, "Grace, this is my mom, Gwenyth Strand."

Grace moved around the island and held out her hand, "it's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Strand."

"You as well," she replied politely, shaking the other woman's hand, "and you can call me Gwen. Do you work here?" She wondered, noticing the collared shirt she had on with the '911' logo.

"Oh, no, ma'am, I'm a dispatcher. I work a few miles away but came to help TK out and to spend time with the family since they're working a 24-hour shift," Grace explained.

"Maybe that's why Owen and I didn't work out. I didn't try to get to know the guys at the station," Gwen commented, thinking out loud, "but I was so busy as a lawyer."

When Grace saw TK trying to hide his eye roll, she quickly understood why TK was so nervous about this dinner and hoped she could help that night, "yes, some professions can be very time consuming, but you two did raise an amazing son," she told her truthfully, smirking when she saw TK blush.

Gwen smiled proudly at TK, patting his cheek, "that we did, even if we've had some bumps along the way."

"Mom," TK sighed, "can we not talk about the not so great stuff tonight? I've had a lot going on the past few weeks. I don't want to relive my worst choices, alright?"

"TK, the choices you made, good or bad, brought you to this moment, so whether you like to relive them or not, they're part of who you are now," Grace told him gently, "be proud of your accomplishments. I know I am, and I've only known you a few months."

"A wise woman," Gwen noted, looking at her son.

TK's cheeks flushed a little, but before he could respond, the sound of rumbling engines outside caught their attention, "great! Everyone's back, dinner should be ready soon and Carlos should be here shortly," TK announced, moving away from the women to check on a few things and saw that it was just now seven and was glad for the distraction of the team returning to get out of the conversation with his mom.

Buttercup had jumped up excitedly to go greet everyone and after a few moments, the team began to file into the kitchen area, on their way to the stairs, "wow! Something smells good in here," Judd's baritone voice echoed through the room.

"It sure does," Grace agreed, "and y'all can march yourselves right on up those stairs to shower before you even think about getting your paws on any of the food," she added, eyeing her husband and the team who looked like they'd had a very messy call; all of them with streaks of soot on their faces.

"Yes, ma'am," Owen smirked, nodding at Grace, "you heard the lady, hit the showers, everyone."

"I love a woman who knows how to take charge," Judd smirked, moving towards her to press a kiss to her lips, "hey beautiful," he greeted, before continuing upstairs, not even trying to hug her because he knew she'd push him away.

Grace waved as he walked away, "hey husband."

Once they were gone, TK looked at his mom and he could tell she was processing the handful of people who waved as they walked through the room and headed upstairs, he cleared his throat, "sorry, mom. I'll make official introductions when they're done. After messy calls, we need a shower."

"It's alright," Gwen smiled, "I completely understand. They're still on shift, after all."

~*~

Though he normally would have gotten off at seven, Carlos managed to finish up everything he needed for his shift and got off thirty minutes early. This gave him plenty of time to run home, shower, and change out of his uniform, before making his way to the fire station. Once he arrived, he headed through the engine bay to the kitchen and paused in the entryway when he saw his boyfriend pacing.

Leaning against the counter where the espresso machine sat, Carlos resisted the urge to sneak up on him; deciding because of recent events, the last thing he needed was someone startling him. Though TK didn't see him right away, Buttercup noticed Carlos and he bounded over, wagging his tail and rubbing against Carlos, so he leaned down and pet him, causing TK to catch the movement and turn to gaze at him, "hey, Tyler."

TK grinned and moved forward, wrapping his good arm around Carlos' shoulders, his left arm gently coming up to rest on Carlos' hip as he hugged him tightly, "you're here."

"No place I'd rather be," he whispered, as his arms settled snugly around his boyfriend, before pulling back just slightly so he could press his lips to TK's. TK instinctively responded and the two melted into each other, both had wanted to share a deeper kiss that day, but the sooner they got used to keeping the PDA to a minimum when working, the better.

"Warning, parents are around," Owen chimed in, coming downstairs with Marjan right behind him, "but if you guys insist on doing that, make sure to keep it PG."

The two men quickly pulled apart, TK with a smirk on his face and Carlos with a flush starting down his cheeks to his neck, "sorry, sir... Owen," Carlos replied, rubbing his neck nervously.

TK reached to take Carlos' hand in his, lacing their fingers together, "that's dad speak for he likes you and you can come around whenever you want," TK admitted, knowing his dad.

"Yep, but make me a deal," Owen eyed the two, "stay out of the bunk room. It's for sleeping."

"Dad," TK groaned, rolling his eyes.

"Deal," Carlos responded, squeezing TK's hand, "which will be easy because it goes along with what we agreed on today."

"What's that?" Owen wondered.

"We're gonna try to keep the PDA to a minimum when we're in uniform. And it's already hard, but we'll do our best," TK explained.

"Fair enough," Owen smiled, "so when’s dinner?"

Before TK could respond, the timer on the stove went off, "right there," TK turned to kiss his boyfriend's cheek, then pulled away as Grace walked over to help him.

Gwen followed Grace over to the kitchen, but moved towards Owen and her son's boyfriend, "well, hello young man. It's nice to see you again."

"Mom," TK carried a dish over to the table and then returned to stand with them, "this is my boyfriend Carlos. Carlos this is my mom Gwen," he offered, motioning between them with one hand, while his other hand joined with Carlos'.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am," Carlos held out his free hand to her, "I'm very sorry for the rushed interaction this morning."

The older woman took his hand in hers and squeezed it firmly as she shook it, "it's okay. TK explained you were in a hurry to get to work, but I appreciate you bringing in my luggage."

Carlos' cheeks flushed a little, "it was the least I could do, ma'am, and my mama would kill me if she found out I didn't."

"She sure raised you right," Gwen smiled, "and you can call me Gwen. I get ma'am enough at work."

~*~

With everyone at the table for dinner, it was easy for the conversations to flow. For the first time in a long time, his parents were in the same room and it didn't end with them shooting metaphorical darts at each other. Usually, they'd start arguing about who stole TK from who and somehow TK would have to yell at them to stop fighting and that he was now an adult who could make his own decisions. None of the arguments came this time; probably because others were talking about things going on in their lives and cases at work, so there was plenty to keep them all distracted.

From Gwen's point-of-view, she could see her son's smile, relaxed posture, and the happiness in his eyes as TK carried on conversations with those around the table. She tried to catch bits and pieces to learn about everyone, but she was more focused on how her son lit up as he talked or joked around with them. She could tell they were all from different backgrounds, but by how they interreacted showed her what TK had been saying; in a short time, they had easily become family and were comfortable with each other on a level that for some would take years to grow into. She also saw how much Carlos and her son adored each other, by the glances at the other, how they'd grin when their hands would brush at the table, or by just the small touches they'd share unconsciously while talking to someone else.

"Well, TK, Grace, y'all sure outdid yourselves tonight," Judd commented as everyone had finally pushed their plates away from them, "honestly when you brought all that stuff in, I was a little skeptical it would come together."

"I might have had the idea, but it was Grace who helped me pull this off," TK motioned around, "so thank you for that, Grace."

"Y'all don't have to thank me. That's what family does," she replied, her cheeks flushing at the compliments.

"I can see the family you're talking about," Gwen admitted, looking around at the table, her eyes landing on her ex-husband before gazing at her son, "I don't know if I ever saw it that way when your dad and I were married."

TK bit his lip, "did you ever give yourself a chance to?" He wondered, unsure if this would strike her the wrong way, but he wanted to make a point, "I don't remember you ever coming into the station and having a meal with the guys. I remember me being there a lot, especially as I got older and went to hang out with dad on my own, but I don't think I ever saw you do this. I know we don't do this all the time, but I think if you would have given it a chance, maybe you wouldn't have been so bitter."

"TK, you were pretty young still when we got a divorce, and other things were going on," Owen commented gently, eyeing his ex to see how she was going to react.

"It's okay, Owen," she took a deep breath, looking around the table, "I see that now. He's right. Even when he was young and before he was born, I was so focused on my career that I didn't think about getting to know the guys at the station. And then all of a sudden we're going to funeral after funeral," she swallowed, "it was too much, so I poured myself even more into my work and blamed you when you weren't around, Owen, but I should have looked more at myself and what I was doing. I pushed you away and inadvertently pushed our son away, too," she shifted a little to reach for TK's hand, "I wish we could change the past between all of us," she eyed Owen so he knew she was talking to him, too, "but I know we can't. I'm sorry for the way I've acted over the years. Will you ever forgive me?" She asked, almost in a whisper, as tears welled up in her eyes.

TK squeezed her hand, "of course, I do. You're my mom, you're family. That's what family does."

"When your dad called and told me what happened, I..." Tears slipped down her cheek, "I was afraid you'd be all alone because I wasn't here, but I can see you've got a much better family down here than I have been to you in New York."

Shifting his chair out, TK moved around the table to wrap his arms around her, "we've had our problems, mom, but I love you. That's not going to change," he whispered, as she stood up, so they could hug tightly, "we'll get through this."

"I love you, too," she choked out, "I don't know what I would have done if..."

"I'm sure dad, Carlos and everyone else felt the same way, but you don't have to worry. I'm right here and I plan on staying topside, so don't count me out yet," TK laughed lightly, trying to brighten the mood.

The older woman pulled back and blushed, wiping her eyes, "I'm not, I assure you. Sorry, you guys must think I'm a basket case."

"No, you don't. You sound like a mom who just had the scare of her life by finding out her son got shot," Owen stood up, resting his hand on her shoulder, "you have every right to be upset."

~*~

Gwen shared her appreciation to Owen, the team, Carlos, and Grace for taking care of her baby. Everyone assured her that TK was family and she was now a part of the 126, too, and would always be welcome to visit.

With dinner over, Michelle and her team went to restock the ambulance, while Grace got Judd and Mateo to do the dishes, and Paul and Marjan packed up the leftovers to put away for later, leaving TK, Carlos, Gwen, Owen and Grace to hang out in the lounge.

While they were talking, Buttercup came up and rested his chin on TK's leg, whimpered a little and turned around, as if he wanted something, "I bet you have to go outside," TK commented, turning to look at his boyfriend, "wanna go for a walk?"

"Are you asking me or Buttercup?" Carlos laughed as Buttercup barked at the word 'walk'.

TK shifted, without putting pressure on his left arm, and stood with a grin, before turning to hold his hand out to his boyfriend, "I'm asking you. Buttercup wants to go."

Taking his hand, Carlos stood up and smiled, "I know. Just teasing you," he added, using his other hand to wave at Gwen, Grace, and Owen as TK guided him away.

In just a few moments, Buttercup was on his leash and TK had him in his right hand, while he held onto Carlos' hand with his left, "I'm glad you're here."

"Me, too," Carlos squeezed TK's hand as they walked, letting their four-legged companion lead the way, "how do you think it went?"

"Well, mom loves you," TK confirmed, "and I was shocked at what she said, but I'm glad she saw what I wanted her to see; that there are people here that care about me and dad."

Carlos nodded and let go of TK's hand so he could wrap his arm around his boyfriend's shoulders, "I don't know what happened in years past, but seems like she wants to start over or at least be better from here on out."

As much as TK wanted to believe that his mom was telling the truth, her track record told him she'd say that and in a few months, when the next big case monopolized her time, slowly they’d stop communicating again, "I want to believe her, I do. I love her and I want things to be different between us, especially now that I'm not living in New York and we're not easily able to visit each other."

"That's the same reason why I live in Austin and most of my family live in another part of the state," Carlos laughed lightly.

"What part?" TK wondered, knowing they hadn't talked much of his family before.

"Oh," Carlos gathered his thoughts to explain easiest, "I was born in El Paso, where my mom and dad are from, but when I was a kid, dad got a job in San Antonio, so we moved there and that's where my parents and siblings live now. I love my family, but when I graduated from the police academy, I had a choice to go back to El Paso or San Antonio, but I chose Austin because I wanted to be a little further away from my family."

"I can understand that. I'd had a spot at the 252 since I was born, at dad's firehouse, and when I finished at the fire academy, I had a few other places I could've gone. I seriously considered moving a little away from my parents, but I wanted to work with dad."

"Were you not close when you were growing up?" Carlos wondered.

"Kinda," TK contemplated how to explain their past, his left arm slipping around Carlos' back as they continued to walk, pausing at times when Buttercup would stop to sniff or to pick up anything he left along the way, "when I was young and mom and dad were still together, I remember dad being around but not a lot. As I got older and they'd gotten a divorce, dad tried to see me as frequently as possible, even though mom had some long-winded custody agreement with him, that limited how often he could see me, but I never doubted that he wanted to be in my life, even after he met someone else and married her. When I got old enough to venture out alone, I'd end up at the station with dad. I wanted to be there with him because, in a way, mom took a lot of that away from me when I was younger because she was mad at him for choosing his fire family over us. I'm an only child, I don't have siblings, so the people in my life are my family," he explained, "and I think my mom always hated that I wanted to be a firefighter. When I graduated high school and went right into the fire academy, she was pissed at dad for literally 'taking' me away from her, even though he never pushed me into it; I made that choice on my own," TK took a deep breath, "I know she tried, but I didn't want her meddling in my life. I was enjoying it; granted, I had issues with drugs in high school that dad begged me to quit when I joined, which I did, for a while, but then I went back to them... Anyway, mom could tell I wasn't changing my mind on being a firefighter, so figuring my dad 'won', she started working more and our calls and contact got farther apart. It wasn't about winning or losing, but I didn't follow along with what she wanted me to do, so it's obvious she gave up. I think that's why it was so easy for me to move down here with dad. Mom and I had grown apart and dad and I both needed to start over," TK finished, as they reached the entrance of a small park near the station and TK dropped the used dog mess bag he'd been carrying in the trash can near them.

Carlos guided them to a nearby bench and as they sat down, he gently rubbed TK's back, "thanks for telling me. Sounds like starting over is a good thing for all of you."

"Yeah, I think so," TK agreed, "and I'm definitely not going back to New York. Nothing she can say or do is going to make me change my mind. I'm staying right here," TK shifted a little closer to Carlos and leaned his head on his shoulder.

"I didn't think you were, but it's nice to hear you confirm it," Carlos grinned, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead, "so after everything you said and how today went, how are you feeling? It's been a big day."

TK contemplated his answer, "it has," he agreed, "and I woke up with an amazing guy in my bed this morning, had a great meeting, did some cooking which I do enjoy when I can get time for it, we had an awesome family dinner and my parents are not yelling at each other and us Strands are getting a chance to start over from here. All things considered, it's been a great day and I'm really glad I get to spend time with you," TK smiled, pressing a kiss to Carlos' cheek.

"The feeling is mutual. Definitely where I want to be," Carlos smiled, tucking his boyfriend closer to him.

In the distance, the wailing of sirens caused both guys to look towards the street, just as the engine, ladder truck, and ambulance took off past the park they were in and TK huffed in frustration at not being able to go with them, "I can't wait to get back to normal. I hate being held back."

"No one does, but you have to rest and take care of that shoulder. Give yourself some time to really heal and you'll be back on the truck in no time," Carlos assured him, "we should get back. I don't want your mom or Grace to think we ditched them."

TK sighed, but held out his hand to his boyfriend as they stood, "I'd rather be curled up with you anyway, so maybe we can go back to dad's and watch a movie or something?"

Carlos took TK's hand as they and Buttercup began to walk back to the station, "works for me. Tomorrow is Sunday, so I'm off _and_ if you want, we could spend tomorrow together, too."

"I like the sound of that," TK smiled brightly, lifting their joined hands to kiss the top of his hand, "my mom leaves tomorrow afternoon, so she's just here the night."

"Really? I thought she'd be staying longer," Carlos admitted.

"I think normally she would, but this is kinda like a layover," TK explained, "she's a business attorney and had been out of the country when everything happened. She couldn't get away from work right away, but she managed to change her flight enough so she could have an extended layover here instead of in Los Angeles. She has to be back in the office Monday morning, so she's gotta leave tomorrow afternoon to get back to New York."

Carlos nodded as they walked, "are you okay with that?"

TK thought for a moment, "honestly, I'm good with it. She got a chance to meet my family and my boyfriend, we talked through some of our past and are trying to work things out. If she stays much longer, she's going to be hovering and I can't handle that," he took a deep breath, "then hopefully when I'm back on duty and feel more normal, during her next visit we can show her around our home."  
  


"Our home?" Carlos smiled, "I like the sound of that."

Pausing in their steps just outside the fire station, TK held out the leash to Carlos and when he took it, TK used his right hand to pull out his wallet. Digging through it, he pulled out a piece of paper, and held it out to him with a smile, "that's what I did this morning."

Carlos took the offered item and immediately recognized it as a temporary driver's license, the one they give you at the DMV until the official one arrives in the mail, "you got a Texas driver's license with your Texas address on it?" He couldn't help the grin growing on his lips as he processed what this meant and he looked up to focus on TK, biting his lip, "are you sure?"

TK nodded, his smile growing as he met Carlos' gaze, "I am. This is home now," he confirmed, taking the license back and replacing it, then put his wallet back in his pocket, "I'm staying. I want to be here with you, and the 126."

Stepping closer, Carlos wrapped his free arm around TK to press a kiss to his lips while his other hand had Buttercup's leash, "that makes me very happy, cariño."

Hugging him tightly, TK smiled, "I don't know what that means, but it sounds beautiful."

"It's a term of endearment in Spanish, means sweetheart, dear, sweetie, honey," Carlos explained softly, "and to me, you're all those things."

TK's heart swelled with joy at his words and he couldn't help his grin spreading while his cheeks flushed. Leaning back in, he kissed him once more, hoping to show just how much it meant to him to feel wanted and cared for by someone; unlike his past relationships where he was always the one being sweet and endearing without much reciprocation.

As the need for air hit him, TK reluctantly pulled back to press his forehead to Carlos', "the feeling is mutual."

~*~

Finally getting back inside the station, TK closed the open garage door since the trucks weren't there and he let Buttercup off the leash, who dashed inside to get some water. The young couple followed the dog and the closer they got to the kitchen area, they could hear Grace and Gwen talking.

"There y'all are, we were wondering if you boys got lost," Grace laughed lightly as she and Gwen sat at the dining table.

"No, we stopped at the park down the street and talked," TK replied simply, shrugging as he looked around to see if there was anything else that needed to be done.

"Talked, huh?" Gwen raised a curious eyebrow at him, "is that what you kids are calling it these days?"

"Mom!" TK's eyes widened at her suggestion.

"Gwen, I can assure you we were just talking. We're taking things slow," Carlos responded.

"Really? Weren't you leaving the house to go to work this morning?" Gwen teased, smirking at her blushing son.

"Mom, seriously," TK begged, "we're just sleeping. I've been through a lot the past few months and as much as I would like to do more, I've been nursing my shoulder and then yesterday, I accidentally popped some stitches that had to be replaced, so right now, I'm not physically able to do anything; and technically the doctor doesn't want me to overexert myself or do any heavy lifting, which is why I'm on medical leave."

"I'm just giving you a hard time. You don't have to justify yourself to me," Gwen smiled, "you're both consenting adults and I know you've had your issues in the past, but I like to think you know your limits."

TK nodded, "I do," he smiled lightly and took a deep breath. Seeing the kitchen was in order and things had been put back, he glanced at Carlos, who had taken a seat at the table with the two women, "well, there's no point sticking around here. Shall we go back to the house? Grace you have plans tonight? You wanna join us?"

Before she could respond, Buttercup began barking in the engine bay. At first, TK brushed it off, thinking it was because the doors were opening for the return of the trucks, but as it continued and the doors didn't open, he moved from where he was standing to around the coffee machine to see Buttercup was standing at the employee entrance barking.

Carlos' instincts kicked in and he quickly jumped up, darting around his boyfriend to head towards the door, "stay behind me. That doesn't sound like a friendly bark," he told him quickly, as he reached to his back to unclip his gun from its holster, but didn't take it out right away; he didn't want to scare anyone yet.

"Carlos!" TK hissed, following him a few feet behind as they crossed the engine bays to reach the entrance, "what if it's someone who just forgot their keys?"

"Then you can let them in," Carlos replied, reaching the frantic dog who was spinning in a circle and barking at the unopened door, "easy Buttercup," he whispered, holding out his hand to the dog.

Once Buttercup saw them he stopped barking but whimpered and jumped at the door, his paws scratching at it like he was trying to open it.

"Buttercup, come here," TK patted his thigh to call the dog towards him and when he didn't come, he moved forward to loop his fingers into his collar with his good arm, "come on, boy, we got this," he assured him gently, trying to coax him away.

As the dog reluctantly moved away with him, the guys heard a muffled sound outside the door.

"What's that?" TK asked softly, looking at Carlos.

"I don't know," he replied, taking a few closer.

Buttercup lunged forward again impatiently as if he was trying to get to what was on the other side of the door.

"Buttercup!" TK exclaimed, glad he still had the dog with his right hand, but he moved forward with the motion and as he got to the door, the faint sound became much clearer. Both men shared a shocked look as the sound continued and they gasped, "oh my God!"

~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N3: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! It was a little longer than I expected, but it's where I wanted to end this one. All will be revealed in the next chapter! Thanks for all of the support, love, kudos, and comments! They are very encouraging and keep me writing! Don't forget to subscribe to get notified when I update next!  
> A/N4: If you'd like to connect with me outside of AO3, I'm on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/ej8302/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ej8302) as @EJ8302!


	4. A Taste Of The Future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story Summary: Post 1x10 - The weekend after the solar flare is full of Tarlos fluff, emotional confessions, promises, and some surprises along the way.  
> Spoilers: Up to 911: Lone Star (TV 2020) 1x10 - Austin, We Have A Problem  
> Disclaimer: I don't own 911: Lone Star! I'm just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* I do own the original characters, original plot, and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: I edited this, so all mistakes are mine.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~
> 
> A/N3: Cameo of an original female character named Markieta (pronounced: Mar-Key-Ta), based on a friend who's currently going to school to be a social worker!

~*~

There was no mistaking the muffled cry of a baby. TK immediately let go of Buttercup's collar, to push the door open as the child's cries filled his ears, "oh my God," he repeated, biting his lips as he took in the sight of the newborn, nestled in a small basket with a few blankets wrapped around them.

Letting his first responder instincts kick in, TK rushed forward and was just about to reach for the basket when his shoulder throbbed, "damn it," he hissed, "Carlos, can you get them?" He motioned to the baby and tried to push Buttercup away as the dog slipped outside to see the baby.

Without hesitation, Carlos dashed forward and picked up the basket while TK held the door open, "what the hell?" Carlos asked, unsure exactly what to do as they moved back inside.

With Carlos holding the baby up higher, TK was able to put his hand on the child. Their skin was cool to the touch, "they're probably freezing. We have to get them warmed up."

"What in the world?" Gwen jumped up in shock at their return to the kitchen with a crying infant.

"Oh, Sweet Baby Moses," Grace gasped, getting up as Carlos put the basket down on the other end of the table.

"Carlos, go out to where the ambulance parks and get me the bag marked 'Safe Haven'. It should be by the door and next to it should be another bag of baby stuff," TK requested, trying not to snap orders like they were on a call, but he had a job to do now. When his boyfriend slipped away with a nod, TK turned back to his mom and Grace, "I need to check the baby out, but I can't do it with one arm, so I need some help."

"Anything; what can we do?" Grace nodded.

"Grace, can you go upstairs to the showers to get a few towels and washcloths, and maybe swing by the bunk room and grab an extra blanket from the closet?"

"You got it," she nodded, immediately heading upstairs.

"Mom, help me get them out of this basket and unwrapped. I'm not sure if they're crying because they're cold or if they have a dirty diaper and I'd like to know if it's a boy or a girl," he explained.

Carlos returned with the items TK had requested and between Carlos and Gwen, they got the baby out of the wrappings and laid them carefully on the table with one of the blankets down to make the hard surface a little softer. They quickly realized the baby had a dirty diaper, so Gwen carefully undressed the baby from the onesie it was in but left the diaper on for a moment while Carlos moved the basket out of their way.

The 'Safe Haven' bag was a glorified diaper bag; it contained everything the station would need to help care for an infant that was left there until the proper authorities could arrive to take them; the only addition was some medical supplies and TK grabbed the stethoscope out of the bag, along with what they'd need to change the diaper.

Grace returned at that moment and the four of them began to work together to take care of the baby. Carlos wet the washcloths with warm water while TK listened to the baby's heartbeat and lungs, hearing nothing out of the ordinary. Finding no fever and with the washcloths, they gently began to give the baby a sponge bath, to not only clean them up but also so TK could check to make sure there were no external injuries that might cause them to need to look for the parents and charge them with abuse.

Working their way down to the diaper, TK saw that the umbilical cord was still attached to a hospital clamp, so he knew the baby was pretty new to the world and once the diaper was gone, he saw that the baby was a little girl.

They'd all jumped into caregiving mode, so they continued to focus on their tasks, but soon the little girl was washed up, changed, dressed in a new outfit and Grace was wrapping her up into a soft blanket. The baby had calmed down a lot since they'd found her and once TK was confident she didn't have any immediate injuries or needs to be rushed to the hospital for, he knew their next focus needed to be calling the authorities.

"Who on Earth would leave such a precious little girl?" Grace asked, picking her up from the table once she'd finished wrapping her up.

"I've asked myself the same question whenever this happens," TK replied softly, pulling out a small notebook from the bag and flipping it open, his heart aching for a little girl who was now alone in the world; he had a soft spot for kids, especially only children and orphans.

"This has happened to you before?" Gwen gasped looking at her son.

"Yeah, well, not here in Texas yet, but a few times in New York. It also didn't directly happen to me, but I've helped deal with it," he explained pulling his phone out, "it sucks."

"I guess I don't understand at all," Gwen sighed, taking a seat at the table as she looked at the baby in Grace's arms, "I can't imagine giving up my child. I know I haven't been the greatest mom recently, but at least I try."

TK looked at her and smiled lightly, "and I haven't been the greatest son either, so don't take all the blame."

Gwen shared a smile with him and took a deep breath, "still, I'm proud of you. You just took charge of that situation and stayed calm the whole time. I don't think I've ever seen you work," she stood up and moved over to him, wrapping her arms around him, "I think part of me still sees you as a teenager, but you've grown up to be one amazing man."

"Even though I'm an addict?" He asked, knowing she'd been pretty upset with him when she'd found out years prior.

"I'm not happy you turned to drugs, but you're still my son and I love you no matter what. I also feel," she looked at the baby, then to Grace and Carlos, "that your move here is the best for you. You've made a family down here and are definitely starting over and I fully support that, because you've grown a lot in the short time since being here. Even I can see that," she smiled at him, pressing a kiss on his cheek, "and I like that boy over there," she added with a wink.

Any nerves or doubts TK had lingering about his mom supporting him washed away with her words and he leaned into her embrace, "thanks, mom. I love you, too," he started and then looked over to Carlos who was blushing, "and I really like him, too," TK finished, moving from her over to his boyfriend to hug him.

Carlos returned his hug, kissing his cheek, "feeling's mutual, _cariño_."

"I hate to interrupt, but as much as I love holding her, if I don't pass her over soon, I won't want to let her go," Grace blushed, looking at the three others in the room.

TK looked at Carlos, "can you call the number in the folder? I want to hold her."

"Of course," Carlos nodded, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Grace moved over to TK and he held out his good arm to take her from Grace and once he felt the small bundle settle against his chest, he lifted his left arm to help support his arm and her, "hey there, cutie," he greeted her.

The room and those around him seemed to fade out as TK focused on the little girl in his arms. He wasn't sure what drew him in, but now that the adrenaline from everything was wearing off, his heart ached. Moving over to the couches to get comfortable, he sat down and held her close to him. Her eyes were barely open, but he could tell she was content. She had a small smile on her lips, and he leaned in to press a kiss to her forehead, "I know you don't know what's going on here, but you're not alone. I'm sorry your family left you, but we're gonna make sure you're taken care of. I also know it can be a little lonely being an only child, but I can tell you, it does have its perks, so don't worry about that," he smiled at her and he knew she didn't understand him, but she seemed to be focused on what he was saying as he kept his voice low so he didn't scare her, "and I hope that a nice family adopts you and they love you more than life itself. I know you won't remember us here tonight, but I don't think we'll ever forget you."

Buttercup jumped up on the couch to curl up next to TK and rested his chin on the baby in TK's arms, "good boy, Buttercup. You let us know she was out there when we couldn't hear her," he took his left hand and rested it on the dog's head, scratching behind the ears.

Grace and Gwen were both shocked at the reaction TK had to holding the baby and shared their curious looks as they both took out their phones to snap pictures of them.

Carlos came back from the engine bay after getting off the phone and was about to say something when Grace held a finger up to her lips in a 'quiet' motion. At first, he was confused but then glanced to see his boyfriend, sitting on the couch with the baby against his chest and Buttercup curled up next to him. Immediately, his eyes widened, and he couldn't help the flush growing on his cheeks. Pocketing his phone, he chose to move towards them, not only to see just what TK was doing but also to share that moment with him. "Hey, baby," he greeted softly, sliding gently between TK and the arm of the couch and snaked an arm around his shoulders, "how's she doing?"

"She's content and that's what's important right now. Did you get ahold of DCFS?" He wondered, his gaze never leaving the young child's face as one of her hands currently was wrapped around his index finger.

"I did," Carlos replied, gently reaching out to brush his hand over her cheek, "they're sending someone over and should be here within the hour," he explained carefully, feeling his boyfriend sigh, "are you okay?"

"Yeah," TK replied, glancing up at him for the first time, "just... I don't know why this is affecting me so much," he admitted, leaning into his boyfriend, "I don't want to let her go, but I know I have to. Do you want to hold her?"

"I'd love to," Carlos smiled and carefully took the baby away from him to settle into his arms, "could it be that you've recently just gone through your own traumatic experiences and can sympathize with what happened to her tonight?" He wondered, looking down at her. Her gaze was focused on him and like with TK, she settled against his chest and wrapped her small hand around his fingers, " _hola, bebita._ "

"You might be right," TK agreed, smiling at how she was looking at him. Slipping his arms around his boyfriend's body, one arm gently around the baby and the other around his back, TK rested his chin on Carlos' shoulder, "she likes you," he whispered.

"Of course she likes us; she knows she's safe," Carlos smiled, "and I gotta admit, you looked pretty handsome holding her. You're gonna make a great dad someday."

TK's cheeks flushed, "you think so?" He smiled, pressing a kiss to Carlos' cheek, "because I was thinking the same thing about you. Do you want kids?"

"I do," Carlos nodded easily, "how about you?"

"Oh yeah," TK replied, "I think I need to keep working on some of my issues before I could consider it, but yes, definitely one day."

Carlos smiled and looked at him, their eyes meeting with unspoken words they were thinking, but worried it was too soon in their relationship to even consider voicing. Leaning in, Carlos brushed a gentle kiss to TK's lips, "you know I'm never letting you go, right?" He wondered softly, pressing his forehead to TK's.

TK's eyes had drifted closed in contentment from the kiss, but at his words, he opened them to see the serious but longing look from his boyfriend that filled him with a warmth he'd only ever hoped to find; someone who wanted him forever, and at that moment he had no doubts that he wanted Carlos for just as long, "yeah," he smiled, unable to hide the tears in his eyes, "and I don't plan on letting you go either."

~*~

Grace and Gwen stood nearby, unable to resist taking pictures of the two guys with the baby. The women also realized that they were so engrossed in that moment the guys missed the rumbling return of the firetrucks to the station.

As soon as the team began to filter back into the kitchen, Grace and Gwen coaxed them to stay quiet to not interrupt, but Mateo missed the 'shhh' motion they'd done and when he noticed Carlos and TK holding a baby he spoke up, "whoa, you guys work fast! I didn't realize Cap was already a grandpa!"

"I'm what?" Owen gasped, moving further into the room and froze when he saw his son and Carlos standing up with a baby in Carlos' arms, "how long have we been gone? What the hell did I miss?" He choked out, eyeing his son and rubbing his eyes to see if he was seeing things.

"It's not what you think," TK finally announced, taking the baby from Carlos with his good arm, "she was left outside by the employee entrance. Buttercup heard her crying and alerted us when we got back from the walk."

Owen took a deep breath to calm his panic, "oh, okay," he exhaled and took another breath, "for a second there I thought Mateo was serious and I'd missed like, a lot," he laughed lightly and moved towards her, "is she okay?"

"Yeah, I think so. Once we changed her and warmed her up, she calmed down and doesn't have any injuries or any emergent needs," TK explained, going into medical mode, "Carlos called DCFS and we're waiting on someone to come get her," he added, then looked at his boyfriend next to him, before turning to look at his dad, "and trust me, when Carlos and I decide to have kids, you'll know long before we have them."

Shocked expressions appeared on everyone's faces, except Gwen and Grace who'd been there the whole time and had seen the interaction between TK, Carlos, and the baby.

"Don't act so surprised; you've seen these two together," Grace motioned between Carlos and TK, "and don't even look like any of you are going to hold this baby until you've washed up," she added, eyeing them.

"Dibs!" Mateo and Marjan exclaimed, dashing to the sink.

TK held out the baby to his mom, who hadn't held her yet, but had helped, "I've never seen you hold a baby before."

"Because the last time I held one, it was you," Gwen smiled, taking the child from her son and settling her in her arm, "does she have a name yet?"

"No, but I'd found a paper in the basket she was in that said she was born six days ago," Carlos explained, "and they told me if she didn't have a name we could name her, or she'll just be called Baby Jane Doe until she's adopted."

"Really?" TK looked at his boyfriend and then to the baby, "she needs a name."

"But what?" Gwen wondered, looking down at the little girl.

"Maybe Taylor," Owen suggested, looking down at the little girl in his ex's arms before Gwen passed her off to Marjan.

TK couldn't help his cheeks flushing at the suggestion and shrugged, "we could, but I was kinda saving that for my daughter."

"Why?" Mateo wondered, looking over Marjan's shoulder as she held the baby.

"TK stands for Tyler Kennedy and if I had been a girl, I was gonna be Kennedy Taylor," TK explained, finally sharing his full name with the team, "so I would have been KT and I always hoped I'd be able to give my future daughter Taylor as a name."

Carlos smiled and draped an arm around TK's shoulders, "I think that's a great idea, and I also think you should be the one to name her. You're the one who took charge of her care when we found her," he motioned to the baby as Marjan caved and passed her to Mateo.

At a few others agreeing to Carlos' suggestion, TK thought for a moment and glanced around, "Karla Grace," he said simply, "Karla with a 'K' for me and mom's Kennedy, Karla because it's close to Carlos and Grace because, well," TK smiled at her, "because she's an awesome woman and it's a great name."

~*~

The rest of the team got to hold the baby for a short time and though she didn't cry when anyone held her, she got a little squirmy by the time Paul passed her to Judd. He only held her long enough to say 'hi' before giving her back to TK, and she settled right down in his arms.

"Well, she likes you," Marjan laughed lightly.

"We bonded over being only children," TK replied, shrugging his shoulders as he looked down at her, "and I feel bad for her, you know? I'm just glad she's so young she won't remember this."

"Amen to that," Grace nodded in agreement, "I should get going. Thanks for the invitation to dinner, TK. It was great to see everyone and meet you, Gwen," Grace smiled at her, before looking at her husband, "would you walk me to my car?"

"I'd never turn down a chance to say 'goodnight' to you properly, Mrs. Ryder," Judd grinned, holding out his arm to her.

After brief goodbyes from everyone to Grace, she linked arms with him and they walked out of the kitchen, while Paul, Mateo, and Marjan headed upstairs to get some sleep, leaving the Strands, Carlos, and Buttercup downstairs with the baby.

Owen asked what happened and the four sat down at the table as TK and Carlos explained and when they finished with their story, Judd came walking in with a woman looking to be a little younger than Owen and Gwen, "hey, y'all, this is Markieta; she's the social worker for the baby."

She waved at them as she noticed the baby in TK's arms, "hey, everyone."

"Hey, Markieta; I didn't realize they'd send you down," Carlos got up and moved towards her to shake her hand.

The woman shook his hand, "I live closer to the station than the other social worker in the area, so she called and asked me to come over. I didn't realize police had been involved."

"The police weren't," Carlos shook his head and motioned to his street clothes, "I'm not on duty. I was visiting my boyfriend here when we found her."

"Oh, alright. I understand now," she smiled at him, "must have made this an interesting evening. Glad you guys were here when she was dropped off."

"Definitely," TK agreed, looking down at the baby again, "so, um, what happens now?"

"Well, after I get a statement from y'all, I'll take her to get a once over at the hospital and as long as she's okay, she'll stay with me tonight and tomorrow be placed with a foster family until she's adopted," she explained easily, looking at the young firefighter and seeing the nerves in his face, "she's gonna be okay."

TK nodded and sighed, "I know I'm supposed to stay emotionally detached from things like this, but I can't help it," he admitted, taking a deep breath.

"You're only human, and any case with a kid is harder to deal with; I've had to deal with calls involving kids that cut me to the core, too," Carlos offered, moving to rest a reassuring hand on his boyfriend's shoulder, "but she's going to be taken care of. We did our part, now let Markieta do hers."

"Okay," TK nodded, smiling at his boyfriend, sending a silent 'thank you' to him for his support, before shifting the baby in his arms and looking at the woman, "what do you need to know?"

~*~

Markieta sat down at the table with Carlos and the Strands to tell her what happened and answer any questions she had about her condition when they found her and how they took care of her.

"Well, Karla Grace, you are one lucky baby girl," Markieta said as she put her notebook back into her bag.

"She gets to keep the name?" TK smiled happily.

"Of course," Markieta nodded, "I hate calling children Jane and John Doe. Every child deserves a name and it seems only right that those that helped her out get to name her. You're a part of her story now, and I'll make sure that her future family gets to know what you all did for her."

TK smiled at that, "that's... Thank you."

Markieta returned TK's smile and pulled out her phone, "I'd like to... If it's too awkward you can say no, but could I get a photo of you all with her? I like to give the family a photo with those who rescued her. It gives a little light in the darkness."

No one had a problem with that, so while TK held her, Carlos and Gwen stood next to him and Owen stood behind his son with the 126 logo behind them, Buttercup somehow sitting next to TK as if he knew what was going on and Markieta snapped a photo of them, before slipping her phone in her bag and looking at them, "I'll take her now."

"Would you mind if we walked you out?" Carlos wondered, knowing his boyfriend was still hesitant to let her go.

"That'd be okay," she replied, "I know it's not going to be easy, but I promise we're going to do everything we can for her."

TK nodded his thanks to his boyfriend and the older woman and the three, followed by Owen and Gwen headed for the engine bay and outside to the dark Austin night. Gwen and Owen hung back at the doors, while Carlos and TK walked over to the woman's red Toyota Corolla. Karla was currently asleep in TK's arms and he hated to stir her, but he couldn't put her in the car seat because of his shoulder, so he reluctantly leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead, before handing her over to Carlos.

Carlos paused a moment with the little girl, waiting to see how TK was doing, but knowing they couldn't keep her out in the cold too long, he shifted to kneel on the backseat, meeting Markieta and they unwrapped her a little, to hook her into the car seat, " _hasta luego, bebita,_ " he whispered to her, before pulling back and gently closing the door. Stepping to his boyfriend, he draped an arm around his shoulders and kissed his cheek, gently rubbing his hand over his back, "it's okay, she's in good hands. Markieta has been doing this for years."

TK nodded and curled into his boyfriend's embrace, snaking his arms around him and relaxing for a moment, "I trust you, I just... Holding her... So many emotions."

"I know," Carlos agreed, "but you're gonna be okay. I've got you, so do your parents and the team. You're not doing this alone. Neither is she," he told him softly, as Markieta waved one last time.

Watching the car drive away from the station and letting what Carlos told him sink in, TK nodded as he settled against his boyfriend's warmth, "yeah, you're right."

Pressing a kiss to his forehead, Carlos hugged him again and then pulled back, "come on, let's go home and relax."

~*~

After such an eventful day, Owen finally said 'goodnight' to the three and offered his SUV, so they all didn't have to climb into Carlos' Camaro with Buttercup. Carlos easily returned the favor, by leaving the keys to his car so Owen could get home in the morning, after grabbing a small backpack from it with some things in it for the next few days; having a feeling that he'd be staying with TK until at least Monday morning.

The drive back to the Strand's house was smooth. TK drove since he'd finally learned a few ways to get home and since Carlos had given his mom the front seat, TK was able to point out a few places to her along their way.

When they got back, Carlos went to drop his things off in TK's room, while Gwen and TK headed into the kitchen. As he made his way back to the others, Carlos noticed Buttercup curled up in the living room on his bed, and when he reached the kitchen, he saw Gwen and TK hugging, "oh, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"It's okay, Carlos, I was just telling my son here how proud I am of him, again," Gwen smiled, looking at her son's flushing cheeks as she pulled back from him to move towards Carlos, "and you," she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, "I know this is a new relationship for you guys and I've had my share of not-so-great ones, but I can honestly say, I can't imagine a more perfect person for my son to have in his life. I can tell by the way you look at him and hold him that you truly care and that's all I've ever wanted for TK."

Carlos returned her hug and smiled, his cheeks flushing to match TK's as he processed what she said. Glancing to his boyfriend as she pulled away, he smiled at the older woman, "that means a lot and I promise I'll do anything to make him happy, feel loved, and cared for."

"I know you will," she returned his smile and moved back to her son, pressing a kiss to his cheek, "and with that, I'll leave you boys to whatever you wanted to do. I'm tired and have another day of traveling tomorrow, so I'm going to bed. Love you, sweetheart. Goodnight."

"Love you, mom, night," TK replied, as she began to leave the room and once she was gone, TK looked at his boyfriend, biting his lip, "hey."

"Hello," Carlos smiled, moving towards him, "are you doing alright?"

TK took a deep breath and nodded, "yeah, I think so," he admitted, reaching up with his good arm to wrap around Carlos' shoulders, "a lot happened tonight," he noted again, now more comfortable with talking about his thoughts.

Carlos instinctively snaked his arms around his boyfriend's waist and rested his chin on his shoulder, pressing a soft kiss to his neck just below his ear, "it did. A lot has happened since just before you moved here if you want to get technical," he admitted, pulling back to reach up and rest a hand on TK's cheek.

"True," he agreed, leaning into Carlos' touch, "but that stuff just seems so far off. Like, everything that happened before getting shot is just in my past."

"It is, but it brought you here, to Texas and into my arms, so it's still a big event in your life," Carlos murmured, pressing a kiss to his cheek, "it made you who you are today."

TK smiled at him and turned to the warmth of his boyfriend's hand against his cheek and kissed it gently, before reaching up to lace their fingers together, "yeah, I guess so, but I want to forget about Alex and how he hurt me. How I stupidly overdosed and almost died and how we came down here, because yeah, that's made me who I am, but it's in the past. I want to remember you asking me to dance that first time and hooking up, and all the ways you've been so gentle with me and I was being so scared of letting anyone in, but then... I got shot and it's all become so much clearer."

Carlos pressed a soft kiss to TK's lips to still him from speaking, "let's go sit down and we can talk," he whispered and when TK nodded, they moved into the living room to take a seat on the couch next to each other, "continue."

"Yes, recently I had doubts if I ever wanted to be a firefighter or to be here in Texas, but I don't anymore. I am 100% confident that's who I'm meant to be and where I'm supposed to be," he told him, knowing they'd kinda had this conversation before, but he had more to say, "and I realized with everything yesterday and today that I want to be with you, more than anything Carlos. You give me hope of a future that's more than just a few days or a few weeks ahead." TK bit his lip and took a deep breath, "and holding that baby, seeing how content she was in my arms and then I looked at you next to me, when you were holding her, and I realized..." He felt tears in his eyes, "I see us together for the long haul, with kids and a life, and it scares me that I'm feeling like this now, because we just got together yesterday, but I can't help it... I understand if..."

"Shhh, _cariño_ ," Carlos leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his boyfriend's lips again as he wrapped his arms around him snuggly, "you're not the only one feeling that way," he whispered to him. He gave TK a moment to relax, before pulling back enough to look at him, "yesterday when I told you I had strong feelings even though I barely knew you, that's what I was talking about. I was so worried you wouldn’t wake up, and that I'd miss out on having a future with you and we weren't even together at the time. I meant what I said tonight. I'm not letting you go, Tyler. I'll fight for you and I'll wait as long as you need me to."

Closing the last bit of distance between them, TK's arms tightened around his boyfriend, one hand resting on the back of his head running through his short curls, while his other arm was snaked around his shoulders. What he didn't expect was the tears to fall as he began crying into Carlos' shoulder.

"I got you," Carlos murmured, his arms remaining secured around TK as he pressed his body to him, "you're okay."

TK pulled back, knowing he did not look very attractive with tear streaks down his face, but at the moment he didn't care, "for the first time in my life, I truly believe that. I kinda knew that when dad and I got here and the team seemed to gel after the first call, but my life isn't gray anymore; it's full of colors when I'm with you."

Carlos remembered when he'd first told him about being numb and gray all the time and couldn't help the smile that grew from what he'd just told him, "you deserve it, Tyler, and I will do my best to make sure you always feel that way."

~*~

A content silence settled over the young couple as they relaxed on the couch, comfortable in each other's arms. Carlos was seated normally on the couch, TK's legs draped over his lap. TK's good arm was snaked around Carlos' shoulders and his left arm was tucked against his chest, while Carlos' left arm was wrapped around his back protectively, and Buttercup was nestled on the other end of the couch, to be close to them.

Carlos was relieved his boyfriend was feeling comfortable and safe with him to open up more and that he was growing, learning from, and moving forward from his past. "How's your shoulder?" Carlos wondered, noticing TK had been holding his left arm against his chest more for support than to relax.

"It's a little sore. I took some Tylenol and ibuprofen after lunch, but I forgot when dinner was over. I think the adrenaline of the evening made me forget about it, but it's starting to ache now, and I don't want to move to go take anything right now."

Carlos shifted and tucked his arm under TK's legs and with his other arm tightly around his back, he shifted to stand up, "who says you have to move much?" Carlos smirked pressing a kiss to his cheek.

TK gasped and tightened his hold to his boyfriend, as his cheeks flushing, "Carlos!"

Buttercup even stirred and jumped off the couch in surprise at what Carlos was doing.

"What?" Carlos grinned easily carrying his boyfriend into the kitchen and set him down gently on one of the barstools, "you’re not the only one who can carry a person if need be."

TK took a deep breath and tried not to let his body react how he wanted to, since they couldn't do more at the moment, "that was..." His cheeks continued to flush, "that was fucking hot," he choked out, eyeing his boyfriend who was now across the island from him, out of reach, "very caveman-like."

"Oh, so that turns you on?" Carlos wondered, sliding the pain medication bottles towards him, and then went to get some filtered water from the fridge. Moving around to his boyfriend, he set the glass in front of him before taking a seat next to him on the other stool.

TK smiled, biting his lip, but the flush in his cheeks gave him away, "uh, yeah, I guess so. Um, it's kinda hard to explain," he admitted, turning his focus to the pain medication he needed to take.

Carlos rested his elbow on the island and leaned his head in his hand, "try me."

TK took the meds he needed and washed them down with a long drink of the cool water Carlos had gotten him before setting the glass back down and returning his gaze to his boyfriend, "um, I was the... Well, in my last relationship, I was the hot firefighter boyfriend who was super strong and took care of him, but he didn't reciprocate it. Once, I was down with the flu for like a week and he wouldn't come over. He thought he was taking care of me by ordering food on an app and sending it to my place. Sure, that was nice, but I just wanted to curl up with him, so we could just Netflix and chill."

"I don't know this guy, and I hope I never do because I want to kick the shit out of him. He fucked up. First off, that’s not even a decent friend, let alone a significant other. How long did you suffer with him?"

TK took another breath, "about two years, but the last six months is when I started to notice him pulling away."

Reaching over, Carlos took TK's hand in his, "I don't make promises often unless I know I can keep them, but this one I can confidently make. I promise I'm not Alex and I'm here for all the good and bad, as long as you'll have me."

A grin tugged at his lips as TK slipped off the stool to move closer to his boyfriend, wrapping his arms around him tightly and pressing a kiss to his lips, "thank you and I feel the same way towards you. I'm here."

"Good. I'm glad we're on the same page," Carlos smiled, his hands gently resting on TK's hips as he studied his features.

TK groaned and pulled himself back from Carlos a little, "if you look at me like that much longer, I'll need to break all my doctor's orders," he muttered, his cheeks turning red again.

Carlos laughed lightly and stood up, "then maybe we should go change into comfortable clothes and kick back on the couch to watch something on TV. The idea of your mom walking in on us is enough of a reason to keep our hands to ourselves."

"But I don't want to," TK sighed, "I want to..."

"Easy Tiger," Carlos laughed, taking his hand and guiding him towards his room, "I'm not going anywhere, but let's just keep it PG until your doctor clears you for more, okay?"

With another sigh, TK followed him into his bedroom, Buttercup right on his heels, "alright, Netflix and chill it is, but once I'm cleared..."

Carlos set the sweats he'd pulled out of his bag on TK's bed and moved towards his boyfriend, wrapping his arms around him and kissing him, "I promise, we'll _celebrate_."

~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Spanish Translations:**  
>  hola, bebita - 'hi, baby'  
> hasta luego, bebita - 'see you later baby'  
> cariño - sweetheart
> 
> A/N3: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I'm not sure how many are left, but after it is finished, I do plan to revisit the universe at some point! Thanks for all the support, love, kudos, and comments. I haven't had a chance to do a lot of responding, but I do read and appreciate them all!  
> A/N4: If you'd like to connect with me outside of AO3, I'm on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/ej8302/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ej8302) as @EJ8302!


	5. Our Place

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story Summary: Post 1x10 - The weekend after the solar flare is full of Tarlos fluff, emotional confessions, promises, and some surprises along the way.  
> Spoilers: Up to 911: Lone Star (TV 2020) 1x10 - Austin, We Have A Problem  
> Disclaimer: I don't own 911: Lone Star! I'm just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* I do own the original characters, original plot, and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: I edited this, so all mistakes are mine.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps me writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~

~*~

Gwen wanted to give TK and Carlos some space, knowing they'd just gotten together, and she didn't want to make it any more awkward than it had been, because usually 'meeting the parents' didn't happen so soon after the start of a relationship.

She was glad TK was on the mend from everything that had happened in the past few months, happy that he had not only his dad and work-family to be there for him, but also a committed boyfriend who truly wanted to be in his life no matter what. She wouldn't deny that she'd miss not having her son live in the same city, but now that they'd taken some time to talk and all agreed to start over, she was confident it didn't matter where he lived, they'd still work on growing closer and they'd still always be able to visit whenever possible.

Taking some time to make sure her bags were packed aside from what she'd need in the morning, she spent a little time on her laptop, checking emails and looking over a few things from work she still needed to finish. Her mental checklist slowly growing longer as she worked.

After realizing several hours had flown by, she knew she needed to get back on her regular sleep schedule. Getting her things set aside, she used her phone's flashlight to tiptoe out in the living room, not wanting to wake the boys if they were asleep and paused to smile at the sight that she found instead.

The TV was a blank screen with 'Are you still watching?' flashing across it. Carlos' feet were kicked up on the coffee table, while he was nestled in the corner of the couch, both arms securely wrapped around her son as TK sat in his lap. TK was curled against his chest, with his legs stretched out over the couch. The position didn't look the most comfortable to Gwen, but they seemed to be relaxed and the smile on her son's face was enough to tell her to leave them alone, especially with how Buttercup was curled up on the couch, half his body stretched out on top of TK's legs.

With her phone, she couldn't help snapping a few photos of the moment between them at a few different angles, before carefully picking up the throw blanket from a nearby chair and gently draping it over them.

" _Texas has been the right move for him,_ " the mother thought as she moved into the kitchen to get some water, " _and I've never seen him so comfortable with someone. I know I only met the man, but he sure is committed to TK and that's all I want for my son; someone who treats him like he's the only one in the room and wants to be with him, for the good times and the not-so-good._ "

As the woman headed back to her room, she smiled seeing them soundly sleeping where they had been. Realizing they'd be like that for a while, she moved to turn off the TV and slipped out of the room to leave them alone. Once she closed her bedroom door, and finally crawled into bed, she smiled in confidence. She knew her baby was in great hands and she could worry less about his wellbeing than she had, but a mother never completely stops, though this was enough to reassure her he'd be alright.

~*~

Carlos knew he'd fallen asleep when he heard whimpering and felt something nudging at his leg. Stirring, he immediately groaned as his back yelled at him; the couch not the most comfortable place to be sleeping. When waking up in the dark living room, he noticed a blanket was draped over part of him and TK and Buttercup's nose was nuzzling at his leg to get his attention, "hey boy," Carlos whispered, shifting a little to pet him, "are you trying to wake us up because you need to go out or because you're telling us to go to bed?" He wondered hating to wake his sleeping boyfriend, but before he could get shifted, TK moved, "sorry, cariño."

" 'sokay," TK murmured, "what time is it?"

"I don't know, but Buttercup is trying to get someone's attention. And now that I'm awake I realize my legs are asleep."

"Sorry, sweetheart," TK shifted off of his boyfriend's lap and stood up, the blanket falling to the floor, "mom must have covered us and turned off the TV," he noted, "you okay?"

Carlos pulled his legs down and sat for a moment, "yeah, just give me a few minutes," he laughed.

"Let me take him outside and then we can go get more comfortable in my room," TK offered.

"Okay," Carlos stood and watched his boyfriend move to the front door. Stretching while he waited for TK to return, he slowly made his way to TK's room. He'd already changed his pants, but now that they were going to bed, he tugged off his shirt and left his thin undershirt on, and then took the clothes he planned to wear the next day and draped them over a box in TK's room so they didn't get too wrinkled.

Before he could move further, Buttercup bounded in and jumped right up on the center of the bed, turning a few times, before plopping down as if he'd claimed his spot, "uh, Buttercup, that's where we're sleeping. You can sleep at the foot of the bed or on yours."

TK came up behind his boyfriend and slipped his arms around Carlos, pinning his arms to his body, "oh no, there's a really hot guy in my bedroom. I should call the police."

Carlos leaned into his chest and smirked, "now just why would you need to call the police? I didn't hear you complaining last night."

"Because he stole my heart," TK pressed a kiss to Carlos' cheek as he loosened his grip on his boyfriend but didn't let him go.

Smiling at his response, Carlos turned in TK's embrace and lifted his arms to wrap around TK's shoulders, "and here I thought you gave it willingly."

TK's cheeks flushed, "you had my heart, long before I truly gave it. When we met and hooked up, I fell for you, even if I was scared to let anyone in, yet you gave me time when not many would have."

"You're worth it, Tyler," Carlos assured him, locking gazes with him, "always."

"That means a lot, babe," TK promised, reaching up to rest his hand on his cheek, "and I know the last few weeks have been focused on me, but I hope you know how much you mean to me. I'm so lucky to have you and I couldn't imagine my life without you," TK told him truthfully, hugging him once more.

Carlos accepted the hug and tightened his grip on him carefully, "I will do everything in my power to make sure you never have to find out," he murmured, knowing as a cop he couldn't promise he'd always come home, but he would never walk away from TK by choice, "and thanks for saying that. I see how you feel about me, but it's nice to hear."

TK pulled back a little and pressed his lips to Carlos', as they remained wrapped up in each other's arms. Guiding his boyfriend backward to the bed, TK wanted to continue, but when the need for air pulled TK back to reality, he reluctantly broke the kiss and sighed.

"It's alright, babe," Carlos assured him, glancing at the bed and taking a seat, this time on the side TK had slept on the night before, "we've got plenty of time to take that further when your shoulder is healed."

"I hate that we can't now," TK huffed, then looked at Carlos, "um, I need to sleep on my right side."

"I know," Carlos held out his arms and patted the bed next to him, "you still can. Just lean on me, too," he offered, getting comfortable against the pillows.

When TK realized what he was getting at, he nodded and moved around the bed to climb in and inched his way over until he was in the middle, pressed to Carlos' side and draping himself over him, "this okay?"

"Yeah, as long as you're comfortable," Carlos nodded, tucking his other arm under TK so he could wrap his arms around him securely, "and don't mind my arms around you."

"Nope," TK shook his head, "definitely don't mind," he assured him, slipping his hand under Carlos' shirt to rest on the warm skin of his abdomen, "I like this."

"Good," Carlos pressed a kiss to TK's forehead, "let's get some sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up. Goodnight."

TK nodded and snuggled into him even more, "night handsome. See you in the morning."

~*~

TK woke up to his phone ringing, hearing the muffled sound from his pocket that he'd never plugged in when he went to bed. Shifting a little, he dug for his phone and pulled it out to see his dad calling. "Seriously?" He groaned, hitting the answer button, "hey."

"Good morning! Breakfast is almost ready," Owen announced, "I hope you two are keeping it PG, but I figured I should call just in case."

Barely awake and he was already blushing from his dad's comment, "we'll be out shortly," TK muttered, ending the call and returning to where he'd been curled up against Carlos, now seeing warm brown eyes staring back at him, "morning."

"Morning. Your dad?" He wondered curiously.

Laughing lightly, TK nodded, "yeah, breakfast is almost ready."

"He made breakfast?" Carlos eyed him.

"Kinda our tradition when we're not working on Sunday mornings. Well, even if we do, when we're off we try to do brunch," TK explained, shifting to sit up a little, "you up for it?"

"Sure," Carlos ran his hand over his face to wake up, "food sounds good."

~*~

TK and Carlos took a few moments to wake themselves but remained in the clothes they'd slept in when they padded out to the kitchen, finding Gwen and Owen dressed for the day and talking civilly. Eyeing his parents, TK slid into one of the chairs, "I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone," he muttered, as he filled two of the empty cups on the table with coffee for him and Carlos.

"Why is that?" Carlos wondered, taking the seat next to him.

"Because this is the longest Gwen and I have gone without an argument," Owen chimed in as he moved over to the table, Gwen following behind him as they sat down, placing the last of the food on the table.

"Oh," Carlos nodded, still trying to wake up, and not sure how to respond, without digging into past he wasn't sure anyone wanted to talk about, so he chose to take the offered coffee cup from TK.

"I hope this is a good sign, or am I reading too much into this?" TK asked curiously as they began to pass around the various breakfast items they'd made.

"We're working on it," Gwen assured her son, then glanced at Carlos, "anyway, enough about us. Carlos. You didn't share much about yourself yesterday. How old are you? How long have you been a police officer?"

"Mom, we just woke up. We don't need to play twenty-questions," TK groaned.

"It's okay," Carlos laughed lightly, clearing his throat and taking a sip of his coffee before he answered, "I'll be 28 in June and have been a cop a little over five years."

"Oh, so did you go to college after high school?" Gwen asked curiously.

"I did. I went to Texas A&M. Graduated with a degree in criminology," Carlos told them, knowing it was nothing he was hiding, even though he and TK hadn't jumped into asking all the 'get to know you' questions yet since they'd had more going on recently.

"How come you didn't become a cop right after high school?" TK wondered.

"In Texas to be a cop you have to be 21 and I figured the degree would help me advance after a few years in the department," Carlos admitted.

"A wise choice. Do you have family in law enforcement?" Owen asked, joining in with questions.

"No," Carlos laughed lightly, "I'm the only cop."

"Why is that funny?" TK smirked.

"Because I can't see any of my family as cops. Well, maybe my brother, but that's only because he's in the Army, so he has to wear a uniform," Carlos responded.

"Wow, what does he do?" Gwen asked.

"He's a combat medic," Carlos told them simply.

"I think that's an equally intense job," TK admitted, "and I commend him for going into the military. I briefly considered it, but I chose firefighting. And actually, you technically can't be a firefighter until you're 21, either, but I just was on probation for four years, until I turned 21."

"Wait a second. You could have gone to college first?" Gwen's eyes widened, looking at TK and then to Owen, "I thought you pulled some strings to get him in early."

TK groaned, leaning into his boyfriend, "here we go again," he sighed.

"I pulled some strings to get him into the academy and a job as soon as he was done there that paid decently," Owen explained simply, "you know as well as I do that New York is expensive and he needed a decent job because he didn't want to go to college."

Gwen started to respond, a force of habit with Owen, but she'd heard what TK had said, and she wanted to be different now, so she closed her mouth to gather her thoughts. She didn't want to snap or get mad they hid that from her, so after a few moments of contemplation, she glanced at them, "I wish I would have been more aware of the specifics or at least researched them myself, but your dad is right. New York is expensive and to live on your own as you were you needed a have a consistent job."

"Uh, yeah," he agreed, happily surprised that she admitted that, "I needed some space and I'm sure Carlos can attest that college isn't the most ideal place for someone who has an addiction," TK added, glancing at his boyfriend.

Carlos cleared his throat, "yes. There are plenty of opportunities to slip," he explained, unsure if he'd be stepping in it with his boyfriend's parents by agreeing with TK, but he would gladly stand up for TK if he had to.

"I don't disagree. I went to college myself and I know what it's like, but there's a lot of good that can come from college, too," Gwen conceded, taking a deep breath, "though, I understand being an addict, it would make you struggle and you shouldn't put yourself in that kind of situation, either."

"Exactly," TK confirmed, "I didn't think it was a good idea," he added, before finishing his cup of coffee, "so, how much longer do you have here?"

Gwen glanced at the clock, "my flight leaves at three, so I have to be at the airport about one," she told him, "I figure I'll get a car to pick me up about twelve-thirty."

"You don't have to do that. We can take you. Maybe after we eat, we can go see a little of Austin," he suggested, glancing at Carlos, "would you mind showing us around?"

"Not at all. I'd love to do that," Carlos assured them, "we don't have a lot of time, but there's a bunch of things to see from the car and a few places we can stop along the way before we take you to the airport."

"Great! Sounds like we have a plan, so eat up," Owen motioned around at all the food still on the table, and then eyed the plates in front of Carlos and TK, currently empty after their first round, "I don't want leftovers and I _know_ you boys can eat more than that."

~*~

As promised, with Carlos driving Owen's Jeep, the four, along with Buttercup, headed out into Austin to look around. TK and Owen hadn't done much sight-seeing since they'd arrived and aside from calls and appointments, they hadn't ventured out too much, so it was a nice change to sit back and take in the city they now call home.

TK and Gwen were sitting in the backseat with Buttercup curled up between them, though most of the dog was draped over TK's lap, while Owen sat in the front seat with Carlos.

Carlos showed them some popular locations in the city, the capital, a few parks, places along the Colorado River that ran through town and some of the popular restaurants and venues, but they didn't have a lot of time to make multiple stops, so Carlos found a small park with a boat launch on the river and parked near it, and they got out so they could get some pictures.

When they stopped, Owen got a call from the station he had to take, so he stayed by the car and the others walked the short distance to the water's edge. TK had his right hand wrapped around Buttercup's leash, so he didn't stray far, but easily posed with his mom for the few photos she asked Carlos to take of them and when Owen joined them, the four pulled together to get a selfie.

"Carlos, I appreciate you showing us around. I'm sure spending time with your boyfriend's parents weren't really on your day off to-do list," Gwen commented as she pocketed her phone.

"It's no trouble," Carlos assured her, "and I don't mind. The only thing I had planned is spending time with Tyler, so that's exactly what I'm doing," he explained, draping an arm around his boyfriend's shoulders.

TK leaned into his touch and kissed his cheek, "but thanks. I can't wait to keep exploring the city with you."

Carlos smiled at his words, "anytime, cariño."

~*~

Everyone piled back into the SUV and soon were making the drive to the airport. Once they reached the departure drop-off zone, the men got out with Gwen. Carlos and TK got her luggage from the back end, while Owen said a brief 'goodbye' and promised to take care of TK, as they shared a quick hug.

As Carlos and TK joined them, the older woman threw her arms around Carlos and kissed his cheek, "I'm so glad my son has you. Thank you for truly caring about him. I know he's in good hands here," she told him, smiling as they pulled back.

"He deserves it," Carlos replied, "your son is amazing and I'm the lucky one."

TK's cheeks flushed at the compliment from his boyfriend, but before he could respond, Gwen was hugging him tightly, being careful to avoid his sore shoulder, "I love you and I know you're well taken care of. Don't push them away, the team, your dad, and Carlos all care about you and want you in their lives, and," she leaned in to whisper, "I know you and Carlos love each other even if you haven't said it yet."

"I love you, too, mom," he replied as they pulled apart, glancing a Carlos and then back to her with a nod, "I'll keep them around. Life would be boring without them," he smirked.

She laughed lightly and nodded, "thank you guys for a great weekend. I'll be in touch," she promised, before shouldering her carryon and purse, "and hopefully next time I visit, I can give you a little more notice than when I'm arriving," she finished with a wave to them.

The guys laughed, before climbing into the SUV, this time TK sitting up front with Carlos, while Owen relaxed in the backseat.

Before they were even away from their airport, TK reached over and took Carlos' free hand in his and Owen leaned forward and rested his hand on Carlos' shoulder, "Reyes, I gotta say. You are one impressive guy! I've never seen my ex take to someone as quickly as she did with you. You definitely won her over."

Carlos glanced at Owen and then to TK, "thanks, but I didn't do anything special. I just was myself, but I'm glad she likes me," he admitted, squeezing TK's hands.

TK lifted their join hands and pressed a kiss to Carlos' hand, "take the compliment, babe. You are impressive. You won my mom over in a weekend. It took my friends in New York years to get her to like them."

Laughing lightly, Carlos smirked, "wow, I didn't realize she was that tough. She seemed warm and interested in her son's life, but I also don't know her as well as you both know her."

"Let's just say there are several reasons why we're divorced," Owen added from the backseat, "but all in all, it was a good weekend."

"It was," TK agreed, "and maybe if dad's cool with it, when we get back to the house, we could get your car and go do something, just us?"

Owen nodded, "yeah, go for it. I have some paperwork to do before shift tomorrow."

~*~

After dropping Owen and Buttercup off and switching cars, Carlos and TK headed out into the city, "any place you'd like to go?"

"I don't know. Someplace quiet. How about where we went the other night?" TK suggested, "I want to see the view in the daytime."

Carlos nodded and continued their drive, turning in that direction, "you liked it there?"

"Yeah, I did. It's like our spot now," he grinned, but then a thought came to him, "have you ever taken anyone else there?"

"Huh?" Carlos raised a curious eyebrow, then realized what he was meaning, "oh, no I haven't," he replied honestly, "well, Michelle has been there a few times, but no one else in the way you think."

"Okay," TK nodded, unsure if he should be excited, "sorry, I, um, realized we haven't talked much about our past relationships except my most recent ex."

"We've had other things going on and I can assure you that my most recent breakup was almost two years ago," Carlos explained.

"How did it happen?" TK wondered, "if you're willing to share. I know not everyone does."

Carlos contemplated his words, "we dated about six months. He was a teacher, but it got to a point where couples naturally take their relationship further, and he wasn't ready. He hadn't come out to his family yet and didn't want to be public, which I respected, but I also wasn't willing to go back into the closet for him, so we broke up because we were in different places in our lives."

TK nodded in understanding, "that sucks. I'm sorry you had to go through that. I dated a guy once who wasn't out. That wasn't easy."

"It definitely isn't," Carlos confirmed, "I knew when we started dating that he wasn't out. He was a little younger than me and had gotten a job for one year here in Austin for his first official year teaching, so he had a lot going on in his life, but he'd promised he was working up the courage to come out because he hated being in the closet. A few weeks turned into a few months and the next thing I knew we were having one dinner date a week, with no PDA, we'd talk most of the time on the phone or through texts. He'd come over once and a while. We'd watch a movie and he'd leave at the end of the night. He never visited me at work, never asked me to come to his place, he never wanted to stay the night and when I'd try to progress the physical relationship, he'd say he wasn't ready yet. I understood that, but I finally asked him if he ever would be ready for more, because I was, and he told me he didn't want to jeopardize his career. I finally shared that I felt like he was making me go back into the closet for him and I wasn't willing to do it, and though I did like him, he seemed more like my friend than a boyfriend. We were obviously in two different places in our lives, so I told him if he wasn't ready to come out or to be more intimate, there was no point in continuing to try to have a romantic relationship. We broke up, he left that night, and it was two months before he reached out and apologized for being selfish and for leading me on. Turns out when we started dating, he never had any intention of coming out and had hoped our relationship would be enough to make him want to, but he was still scared of coming out," Carlos sighed, "and as much as I wanted to be pissed at being led on for so long, I'm glad we'd broken up, so I forgave him, because I know how hard it was to come out, and I never would have forced him to do that or anything physically he wasn't ready for. We agreed to be friends and he moved back to Dallas. I haven't seen him since, except for a post on Facebook every once and a while."

As Carlos finished, TK reached over and took his hand in his, lifting it to press a kiss to his knuckles, "oh baby, I'm so sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Carlos assured him, "I learned a lot in that relationship and I'm so glad I've moved on," he grinned, "because I got to meet this gorgeous firefighter from New York. He stole my heart and I wouldn't have it any other way."

TK's cheeks flushed at the compliment and squeezed their joined hands, "I'm so glad you asked me to dance. I know I fell for you that night, even if I didn't want to admit it right away."

Carlos smiled from the driver's seat, "I had a feeling, and you know I did, too."

TK nodded, leaning over to press a kiss to his lips quickly, knowing he was driving and needed to focus. As he pulled back, he noticed they seemed to be heading into a neighborhood; not a park, like he thought they had been in before, "uh, I thought we were going to where we were the other night. This is a neighborhood. Weren't we in a park? Where are we?"

"It was dark when we got there the other night," Carlos explained, "but actually, that wasn't a park. Do you happen to remember seeing some homes?"

"Honestly, I wasn't focused much on that. My brain was on overload. I barely remember asking you to call me your boyfriend," TK's cheeks flushed, glancing out the car. Along the way, he saw trees and some lots with homes built on them, while other lots were marked off and looked like they had the start of something, "why do I get the feeling I missed something," he commented, as Carlos slowed down and drove onto a lot, through quite a few trees until they reached the clearer grassy area they'd been in, "uh, are we trespassing?"

Carlos let out a chuckle as he turned off the engine and climbed out of the car.

"Carlos!" TK quickly got out of the car, "what kind of cop trespasses, even if the view is amazing?" He exclaimed, moving around the blue Camaro to his boyfriend, "seriously? Why are you laughing?"

"Easy Tiger," he grinned, reaching out to slip his arms around his waist, "it's not trespassing if you have permission from the owner."

TK eyed his boyfriend suspiciously for a moment, but didn't hesitate to sink against his chest, hoping to calm his racing heart, "don't do that to me! I'm not supposed to exert myself right now," he swatted at him playfully, "why didn't you tell me that in the first place?"

"Because you went from 'it's our place' to freak out pretty quickly. It was cute," Carlos noted, but then shifted, "you okay?"

"I will be," TK took a few deep breaths and leaned against his firm chest, "are you going to tell me who owns this, or do I have to guess?"

Carlos guided them away from the car and closer to the edge of the grassy area, so TK could get a better view of the flowing hills in the distance, and faintly seeing the neighboring lots through the thick trees. While TK was looking, Carlos shifted to stand behind him, his arms protectively wrapped around TK's waist and his chin resting on TK's shoulder. Pressing a soft kiss to his cheek, he whispered, "what do you think of the view?"

"It's great, but it'd be better if I knew why you're avoiding my question," TK muttered, turning in Carlos' arms to face him, his hands reaching to rest on Carlos' shoulders.

"Cariño, relax," Carlos replied, as another laugh escaped his lips and his hands moved to rest firmly on his boyfriend's back, "the owner's name is Carlos Reyes."

TK's eyes widened in surprise, "wait, what? You own this?" He gasped, as Carlos nodded in confirmation, "oh wow! I did not expect you to say that! This is awesome!" TK looked around a little more, before returning his focus to his boyfriend, "how come you haven't built on it yet?"

"I'm not sure what I want to do," Carlos admitted with a shrug, "so I just use it as a place to get away and have some quiet. My neighbors are building get-away homes for the same reason, so it won't be their permanent residence and it is a little further away from town than I'd like to live, so I probably will do the same thing. Still don't know what to build, but I don't have to decide anytime soon. It's mine for as long as I decide to keep it."

"You totally have to keep it! This is our place, after all," TK grinned.

"Our place?" Carlos smiled, "you sure?"

"Of course!" TK nodded, turning a little to look around, "no matter what you do here, it'll still be our place."

"You do have a point," Carlos agreed, "and part of why I never built anything, is because I didn't see a reason to."

"Why not?" TK wondered, unsure what he was getting at.

Carlos guided them back to the car and he leaned against it as he continued to hold his boyfriend, "I got a good deal on it, but it's just me. If I want to get away, I can just throw a sleeping bag, a change of clothes, and a tent into the back of my car and go."

"Are you trying to say that I can't do that?" TK wondered, eyeing him curiously.

"Uh, not the same way I can. If we went, we'd have to plan it out or at least need some of the same time off," Carlos explained, "would you camp? You've never hinted that it was something you'd be interested in."

TK laughed, patting his chest gently, "we haven't really talked about it, and the idea of a getaway in my family is renting a house on the Atlantic Coast of Long Island or visiting family in Santa Monica, California. So, to answer your question, no, I've never gone camping, but I'm not against it. I just prefer sleeping above the ground and having running water."

"I will keep that in mind," Carlos smirked, as an idea came to him.

"What's on your mind?" TK wondered, noticing the thoughtful look on his boyfriend's face.

Carlos eyed him as he took a breath, "maybe subconsciously I never built anything here because it was never meant to just be mine. You said yourself it's 'our place' and it feels right to say that. I know we just got together, but my feelings for you get stronger every day, so what if _we_ build something here, so it really can be our place?"

Initially, TK's eyes widened in surprise, but the shock quickly shifted to a look of adoration and contentment. Before he responded, he easily tightened his arms around Carlos' neck and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, "I'd love to share this with you, because we really do work well together and I'm not letting go for anything."

"I'm so glad we're on the same page," Carlos murmured, kissing him once more.

"Sorry it took me a little longer to catch up," TK whispered.

"Don't be. I was never pushing you because I wanted you to get there when you were ready," Carlos assured him, "I'm just glad we're in the same book."

TK chuckled lightly at their continued analogy and nodded, settling against Carlos' chest, "me, too," he agreed, relaxing to the sound of Carlos' even heartbeat, "I don't want to move."

"You don't have to," Carlos assured him, "but the sun is starting to go down, so you might want to watch."

Turning in Carlos' arms to watch the sunset, TK could feel his boyfriend's hands move to rest on his hips, as he settled against his chest. The wispy clouds above were soon painted with the reds and pinks of the sunset, in front of the darkening blue sky, mixed with some purples, while the sun's orange tones disappeared beyond the horizon. When the colors began to fade, TK turned back to look at Carlos, "I can't wait to enjoy more of these awesome sunsets with you."

Carlos grinned, "the feeling's mutual, cariño," he whispered, pressings a kiss to his lips, "shall we get back to town and maybe get something to eat before we go back to the house?"

"Yeah, sounds good," TK agreed, sighing contently, "man, what a weekend. It was good, great even, but just a lot all at once."

Laughing lightly, Carlos shrugged, "yeah, but it happens. I'm sure not all weekends will be this intense, though."

"I hope not," TK replied as he reluctantly pulled back so they could move around the car, "I don't think my emotions can handle that if it happens all the time."

Carlos smiled and opened his door for him, "but at least it keeps us from getting bored."

"I can assure you that I will never be bored when I'm with you, handsome," TK confirmed, climbing into the car.

Closing the door, Carlos moved around to his side and slid into the driver's seat, then leaned over and pressed a kiss to his boyfriend's lips, "I feel the same way about you, Tiger, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

~*~

The End... Sort of!

~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N3: When I first started writing this chapter, I didn't expect it to be the end, but it just felt right. Hope you all enjoyed it! Don't worry, there's more left in this universe to explore, which is why this story is now 'Part 1' of the 'Starting Out' series. Thank you for all the love and support! Many apologies that I haven't been able to respond to all the comments, but I do read them and they're very encouraging! Love you all! And see you in my next fic!  
> A/N4: If you have an idea or suggestion you'd like to see me write, throw it in the comments and I'll see what I can do, or you can send me a DM / tag me in a post outside of AO3, as @EJ8302 on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/ej8302/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ej8302)!


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